view of international relations, one which envisioned the creation of a stable international structure in which no one country possessed substantially greater power than the others. Such a structure, Kissinger felt, was necessary for preserving peace between the major powers and in the world at large.
Together, Nixon and Kissinger devised a policy of overall international relations which redefined the role of the United States in the world. The Cold War policy of containment was abolished and the United States ceased to treat the Soviet Union and China as part of a giant conspiracy against freedom and democracy. The Soviet Union was drawn into negotiations concerning the limitation of nuclear weapons and diplomatic channels were opened up with China as a first step in ending the imposed isolation. The Nixon administration tried to get the Soviet Union and China to place pressure on the North Vietnamese, but these efforts were not completely successful.
Since Nixon's first visit to China, there have been seve
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