ABSTRACT
The reconciliation of former enemies like France and Germany, Egypt and Israel, China and the United States, and the Soviet Union and the United States encourages cautious optimism about the ability of leaders and peoples to extricate themselves from deadly quarrels. This optimism must be tempered by recognition that reconciliations are not always complete or irreversible. Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty that has endured almost 20 years, but their relations remain cool and social contacts between their peoples are limited. The Soviet Union's reconciliation with the West was brought about by a reformist regime and opposed by nationalists and traditional communists who might one day gain power in Russia. Sino-American relations, well on their way toward normalization in the early 1980s, have become more conflictual as a result of Tienamien Square, trade disputes, and differences over Taiwan.
