Détente The Chance to End the Cold War

Interstate - Journal of International Affairs, 2016

different time. That is, it is one concept with many interpretations. The article examines the current state and status of détente studies in the Cold War international history and International Relations (IR) scholarship. It argues that the state of détente studies in the Cold War History, despite its ongoing research, is less studied, or even understudied, when compared to other periods or processes of the Cold War such as the origins, development and transformation, crises, or the endings. 8 As Vojtech Mastny observes, 'the "golden years" of détente in the early 1970s are the least researched period of the Cold War'. 9 Etymologically, the term détente comes from the French word 'détendre', meaning to release or lessen the tension on the archer's bow string as the arrow goes on its way. 10 Although détente literally means a relaxation or easing of tensions, contested and contestable debates are widely prevalent. These historiographical debates have revolved around a series of puzzles. In this article, I classify and survey merely four different, despite overlapping, kinds of puzzles: these include the definitions

Diplomatic History, 1992

3Alexis de Tocqueville notes: "I have come across men of letters who have written without taking part in public affairs, and politicians who have concerned themselves with producing events without thinking of them. I have observed that the first are always inclined to find general causes, whereas the second, living in the midst of disconnected daily facts, are prone to imagine that everything is attributable to particular incidents, and that the wires

Asia Research Centre Brief, 2023

Since at least 2020, Tehran has made diplomatic efforts to normalise relations with other Middle Eastern countries - and has achieved certain successes in this field (especially when it comes to Saudi Arabia). However, the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, and the Israel-Hamas conflict that ensued as its result, may have a serious impact on this situation. Since Iran is Hamas’ main supporter, the terrorist attack undertaken by this organisation could destroy the image that Iran was carefully trying to build over the past years - writes Przemysław Lesiński in our new Brief.

The end of the Second World War in 1945 resulted in the rise of the Cold War between two major victors, the United States and the then Soviet Union. The Cold War was “cold” in the sense that it did not culminate into a “hot” war or an all-out war between the two power blocs. It was a period of intense conflict over the US and USSR’s respective professed ideologies and political systems which extended over the entire globe. However the periods of intense conflict also followed in turn with periods of relative peace and cooperation. At such phases, when their relations improved to a point where normalcy appeared imminent, it is termed as détente. During the period of détente, there was reduced international tension and greater signs of cooperation. This paper is a study of the process of détente that was established between the two superpowers, the US and the USSR. The prime focus is on the events leading to the rise of superpower détente. Although there are several contending reasons that led to the rise of détente, an effort has been made to club them into three considerable arguments to speak for the event. The series of events which directs towards considering the approach to be most genuine have been discussed in detail towards the end of the paper.

PS: Political Science & Politics, 2017

Journal of Contemporary History, 55(3), 2020

This included several distinct phenomena such as-to name a few-the rise of political Islam, of human rights activism, of national and transnational peace movements, of environmentalism. 2 Changes in world capitalist economy included the collapse of the post-Second World War Bretton Woods architecture, the oil shocks, stagflation, lower productivity, the gradual demise of the industrial society and the development of the international financial markets: Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge, MA 2014). For the first oil shock, see E. Bini, G. Garavini and F. Romero (eds), Oil Shock: The 1973 Crisis and its Economic Legacy (London 2016). At the same time, the Soviet Union and the socialist states of Eastern Europe were facing serious structural problems as their productivity fell, budget deficits rose considerably, consumer goods were in short supply and the cost of living rose sharply. In the case of the Soviet Union, the allocation of ever-increasing funds to the military (and to foreign aid) aggravated the predicament: Philip Hanson, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Economy. An Economic History of the USSR from 1945 (London 2003), and Thomas Crump, Brezhnev and the Decline of the Soviet Union (London 2003). Equally important, the new Chinese leadership under Deng Xiaoping began to reform the PRC's economy and complete the country's reintegration into the intentional system: Ezra F. Vogel, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China (Cambridge, MA 2011). 3 There had been several aspects of rapid technological change/revolution: from an initiation of a Revolution in Military Affairs (pertaining the development of both nuclear and conventional weaponry) to a revolution in information and computer science (not least affecting the development of global economy).

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2013

American Finance & Banking Review

The United States emerged as the most powerful country after World War II and as such found itself in an influential position to be involved in the future and destinies of many countries across the globe. The U.S. played a major role in the post War economic reconstruction in Europe and rendered assistance to many European states. American power at this time was seen to have extended to other parts of the globe, including the Middle East, which has been a region of interest to outside powers. This short paper tries to look at U.S. ambitions in the region and how far the U.S. has gone in achieving these ambitions. The paper argues that U.S. policies in the Middle East were in the long run, a failure, despite whatever successes achieved, following certain developments in the region, beginning with the 1979 revolution in Iran.

WHY DÉTENTE FAILED?, 2020

In this article we seek to present the main facts that led to the end of the détente. Facts such as the end of President Nixon's term of office, prompted by the Watergate case, the rise of Jimmy Carter to the US presidency and the reaction of more conservative US circles, especially in Congress, as well as the short and fragile presidency of Gerard Ford, are analysed.