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Advantages
- Summits/cooperation- Agreements over Europe and Germany- the Basic Treaty. Nixon visits Moscow, and SALT I in 1972, Brezhnev visits US in 1973, Vladivostok Summit in 1974 (Ford and Brezhnev), Helsinki Accords (high point!), joint space mission- Apollo/Soyuz, Vienna Summit and SALT II
- Arms deals- SALT I and SALT II- agreements to limit nuclear arms, for example ICBMs frozen. This worked in USSR favour- they had more then US (who had frozen them) (USA; 1054 and USSR; 1618). SALT I also allowed the arms race to continue, thus neither had to admit defeat.
- Economic links- Both got the economic links they hoped for. USA got rid of its grain surplus, the USSR got grain and high techonology from the USA. Trade links were also set up between East and West Germany.
- Europe- Both got what they wanted in Europe; USSR got formal recognition of its sphere of influence (Helsinki Basket 1), whilst the USA got a promise to respect human rights and freedom of movement in EE (Helsinki Basket 3). Further, East and West Germany had a formal recognition of each other- 1972 Basic Principles.
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Disadvantages
- SALT II- this was very complicated and agreement not understood, as Carter, the new President, wanted to make changes when he came in after Ford, which was viewed with suspicion by the USSR (Deep and shady maneuver, Gromyko). Further, it was never ratified by the US Senate and thus not made international law.
- Ignoring agreements- the USSR ignored Basket 3 and continued to abuse human rights (which helped in the collapse of communism; Ford- ticking time bomb), and ignored freedom of movement, demonstrated by refuseniks- Russian Jews who wanted to leave the USSR to practice their religion were denied.
- SALT I- This had loopholes which resulted in the Arms Race continuing; the development of MIRV missiles decreased the validity of this agreement.
- Domestic- Especially late in the 1970s with Carter, the right criticised detente in the US. Eg Reagan= "Detente is a one way street", felt that the Soviets were talking advantage.
- Helsinki- No arms deals or substanial agreements were really made at Helsinki.
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