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The Soviet Cold War Machine: Inside the Sino-Soviet Rivalry
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The Soviet Cold War Machine: Inside the Sino-Soviet Rivalry

Seeking status from Vietnam to Afghanistan

Welcome to part two of our series on Cold War history with Sergey Radchenko. Here’s part one.

In today’s interview, we discuss…

  • Khrushchev’s removal from power and the transition to the Brezhnev era,

  • How the USSR and China managed their relationships with Vietnam,

  • Sino-Soviet border conflicts, Brezhnev’s negative feelings toward China, and Nixon’s rapprochement,

  • Watergate and the inability of China or the USSR to understand American politics

  • Why the Soviets decided to invade Afghanistan,

  • Reagan’s approach to negotiations and his relationship with Gorbachev,

  • How to manage the containment paradox and unknown adversary motives when competing with China and Russia today.

Co-hosting today is Jon Sine of the Cogitations substack.

Outro music: ДДТ- Родина (DDT - Motherland) (YouTube Link)

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