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The Cold War: What We Saw · April 24, 2020 · 70m

Part 11: Detente

Bill Whittle

Nixon's opening to China, arms control negotiations, and the era of detente. Whittle examines how pragmatism replaced ideology — briefly — as the superpowers sought to manage competition rather than win it.

Highlights

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Strategic flexibility requires abandoning ideological purity
Nixon's opening to China — an anti-communist president recognizing communist China — demonstrated that strategic flexibility requires abandoning the very ideology that brought you to power.
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Arms control is a relationship, not a contract
SALT agreements didn't prevent the arms race — they managed it. The value was less in the specific treaty terms than in the ongoing relationship between adversaries required to negotiate and verify.
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