The 1969 Sino-Soviet border war over islands in the Amur River prompted the USSR to ask the US permission to use nuclear weapons, which the US refused; this reshuffled great power alignments so that China and Russia became each other's primary adversary, forcing the USSR into a bankrupting militarization of its Far Eastern frontier.
causalpending
Speaker
Dr. Sally PayneEvidence Quote
“in 1969 Russia and China were going at it... the Russians approached the United States and said would it be okay if we nuke these people... the US... decided since it's the Swing Vote let's go gang up with China against Russia and this forces Russia into a bankrupting militarization of its law Frontier”
Source
NWC 2025 INS Lecture - Dr. Sarah Paine: Geopolitics, Cold War Lessons and the Way Forward— U.S. Naval War CollegeCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:04:38 AM
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