The Law of War

new state would struggle to gain international recognition beyond the Soviet Bloc
sphere —despite the previous international outcry at Pol Pot's DK regime's gross
human rights violations, and it would be bogged down in a guerrilla war led from refugee
camps located in the border with Thailand. Following Khmer Rouge's destruction,
Cambodia's national reconstruction would be severely hampered and Vietnam would
suffer a punitive Chinese attack.
Sino-American Rapprochement
As a result of the Sino-Soviet split, tensions along the Chinese–Soviet border reached
their peak in 1969, and United States President Richard Nixon decided to use the
conflict to shift the balance of power towards the West in the Cold War. The Chinese
had sought improved relations with the Americans in order to gain advantage over the
Soviets as well.
In February 1972, Nixon announced a stunning rapprochement with Mao's China by
traveling to Beijing and meeting with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. At this time, the
USSR achieved rough nuclear parity with the United States; meanwhile, the Vietnam
War both weakened America's influence in the Third World and cooled relations with
Western Europe. Although indirect conflict between Cold War powers continued through
the late 1960s and early 1970s, tensions were beginning to ease.
Nixon, Brezhnev, and Détente
Following his visit to China, Nixon met with Soviet leaders, including Brezhnev in
Moscow. These Strategic Arms Limitation Talks resulted in two landmark arms control
treaties: SALT I, the first comprehensive limitation pact signed by the two superpowers,
Page 205 of 265