The Rise and Fall of Détente

A clear analysis of the unexceptionable thesis that détente is not a linear or evolutionary process in the relations between the two superpowers. Forces producing renewed tension have always, in the period studied (1953-1984), proved stronger than momentary impulses toward relaxation. The fact that the outlook in 1986 looks more hopeful than it did in 1984, when the book was written, could be seen as one more of the alterations of perception that have marked the years since 1953.