Cold War triangular diplomacy

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Cold War triangular diplomacy refers to the strategic maneuvering among the United States, the Soviet Union, and the People’s Republic of China during the Cold War, in which each power sought advantage by exploiting tensions and shifting alignments between the other two.

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Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Cold War policy
diplomatic strategy
international relations concept
analyzedWithinFramework balance of power
realism in international relations
associatedWithEvent Nixon visit to China in 1972
Nixon visit to Moscow in 1972
SALT I agreement NERFINISHED
Shanghai Communiqué NERFINISHED
associatedWithPolicy SALT I negotiations NERFINISHED
U.S. opening to China
détente
ChineseStrategy engage the United States to balance against the Soviet Union
conceptualizedBy Henry Kissinger NERFINISHED
coreIdea each power sought advantage by exploiting tensions between the other two
shifting alignments among three great powers
developedDuringPeriod Cold War NERFINISHED
emergedInDecade 1960s
fieldOfStudy Cold War history
international relations theory
hasAlternativeName U.S.–Soviet–Chinese triangular diplomacy NERFINISHED
triangular diplomacy
impact altered global balance of power within the Cold War
contributed to easing U.S.–Soviet tensions in the 1970s
increased diplomatic autonomy of China
reduced risk of a unified communist bloc against the West
influencedByEvent Cuban Missile Crisis NERFINISHED
Sino-Indian War NERFINISHED
Sino-Soviet split NERFINISHED
Vietnam War NERFINISHED
involvesCountry People's Republic of China NERFINISHED
Soviet Union NERFINISHED
United States NERFINISHED
keyActor Henry Kissinger NERFINISHED
Leonid Brezhnev NERFINISHED
Mao Zedong NERFINISHED
Richard Nixon NERFINISHED
Zhou Enlai NERFINISHED
keyObjective enhance national security of each participant
gain leverage over rival superpower
prevent isolation in the international system
shape global balance of power
reachedPeakInDecade 1970s
SovietStrategy improve relations with the United States to counterbalance China
strategicLogic avoid simultaneous confrontation with both rivals
exploit ideological and geopolitical rifts
play one rival against the other to gain concessions
U.S.Strategy use rapprochement with China to pressure the Soviet Union
usedByCountry People's Republic of China NERFINISHED
Soviet Union NERFINISHED
United States NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.