I will be attending this event this evening. The presidents grandson will be discussing the differences between China, the year of his granddads watershed visit, and todays China. The occasion prompts me to comment on that trip in February 1972, which was truly a watershed in our nations diplomatic history and in global geopolitics. It ushered in an American era of detente with China that ultimately shifted the balance of power in the Cold War. The Soviets could no longer rely on an East Asian Communist bloc against the Free World. The result was an overextension of the Soviets southward and a slowly exhausting defensive posture, the strain of which would be aggravated by American administrations to follow. Also, the phrase, Nixon going to China is the metaphor for successfully crossing bridges when the inclinations of ones partisan supporters are the opposite. We could probably use a bit more of Nixon going to China in the Congressional and Oval Office battles over domestic affairs.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:50:58 +0000
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