For a brief moment during the Cold War period, public opinion seemed to shape the direction of foreign policymaking. The New York Times’ publication of information included in the Pentagon Papers and ensuing anti-war protests called for a change of pace.
Under the Nixon administration, and within the framework of both containment policy and the pressure of public opinion, the concept of realpolitik came to fruition. Although having argued that the phrase was never used, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is noted for having introduced this system of politics based on pragmatism rather than moral or ideological considerations. In providing context for the politics which follows, it is important to note that in the wake of the Korean War, the US viewed the Peoples Republic of China, PRC, as an aggressor subsequently serving as impetus for the economic and diplomatic fallout between the two nations. Taking into account the perspective of the US through the end of the Korean War and the newly introduced realpolitik, the Nixon administration, as well as the PRC, saw an advantage in opening up to each other. In the early 1970s, the world witnessed an exchange of table tennis players between the two nations, and although to some it may have seemed inconsequential on the surface, the movement paved a way for Nixon to visit Beijing. The resulting “ping-pong diplomacy” provided a thaw in the Cold War as the US countered Soviet power and sought leverage in negotiations with North Vietnam and China had the additional advantage of cubing their tense relationship with the USSR.
On a similar note, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, SALT I and SALT II, were products of the realpolitik framework. The agreements, calling for an agreed limit on the quantity of nuclear warheads as well as limits on Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs) systems , ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers in both the US and Soviet arsenal.
The aforementioned developments marked a period of detente, in which the White House sought a relaxation of tension between hostile nations.
The International Review 