Deterrence is a concept much used by defence strategists and military planners and their political allies. Literally, deterrence refers to the capacity to protect oneself from attack by another nation by being able to threaten terrible, or at least...

From the 1960s the word ‘détente’ crept into our political vocabulary to signify a foreign policy process mainly concerned with an easing of tension between the Soviet Union and the USA. At any particular time the content of policies...

Détente is a French term, meaning a relaxing or easing; the term has been used in international politics since the early 1970s. Generally, it may be applied to any international situation where previously hostile nations not involved in an open war...