Around 1985, the New Cold War diluted, leading humanity fully realise the danger and futility of the Cold War. Both superpowers once again decided to either withdraw from the Cold War or at least limit its scope. The welcome break came in the form of bold initiatives taken by the Soviet leader Gorbachev, acting under the concepts of Perestroika and Glasnost and respecting the crisis of world public opinion and the demands of non-alignment and third-world countries. The Soviet leader came forward to expect certain moves in the direction of arms control and disarmament. The well-recognised action on the part of the USA set the stage for a very positive development, the signing of the historic INF Treaty (Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty), under which both the USA and USSR agreed to destroy, under joint supervision, medium-range missiles which stood deployed in Europe. 

This historic agreement and its swift implementation brought about a positive and qualitative shift in international relations. The change got reflected in certain events – the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, etc.

Causes of New Détente

Major geopolitical shifts during the late 1980s (post-1985), which historians often refer to as the "new détente" or the end of the Cold War.

  1. Four-Party Agreement Regarding Namibian Independence: On December 22, 1988, the Tripartite Accord was signed by Angola, Cuba, and South Africa (with US mediation), leading to Namibia’s independence and the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola.
  2. Arms Cut Announced by the Soviet Union: Mikhail Gorbachev announced unilateral cuts of 500,000 troops and significant conventional arms reductions in his speech to the UN General Assembly on December 7, 1988.
  3. Withdrawal of Vietnamese Troops from Cambodia: Vietnam completed the withdrawal of its troops from Cambodia in September 1989, facilitating the peace process.
  4. Growing Possibilities of Unification of Korea: While the late 1980s saw heightened dialogue (e.g., South Korea's Nordpolitik policy), unification itself remained elusive. The 1988 Seoul Olympics allowed increased contact, but North Korea's 1987 bombing of an airliner and subsequent developments show that while talks grew, actual unification was not immediate.
  5. Direct Talks Between USA and PLO: In December 1988, the US opened a direct dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) after Yasser Arafat recognized Israel's right to exist.
  6. Direct Dialogue Between Greek and Turkish Cypriot Leaders: Regular UN-mediated talks between the leaders of the two communities on the divided island occurred throughout the late 1980s, including a significant meeting in 1988.
  7. New Faith in the UN’s Role in Crisis Management: The late 1980s marked a revival of the UN's peacekeeping role, specifically in Namibia, Afghanistan, and the Iran-Iraq war.
  8. The New Delhi Declaration: The Delhi Declaration (1985, and subsequent declarations by the "Six Nation Initiative") was a significant call by non-aligned nations for nuclear disarmament, contributing to the climate of détente, although the specific "new détente" of 1985–1989 was more often driven by US-Soviet negotiations.

The above mentioned instances reflected fully that a new détente had emerged in international relations of post – 1985 years.

The new détente was successful in ending the Cold War era in international relations. It produced a welcome change in the international scenario of the post-1985 years. Within 4 years of its emergence, the world was successful in overthrowing the New Cold War in favour of peace and peaceful coexistence in International Relations. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the transformation affected in the international system, together with the spirit of new détente, helped humankind to come out from the New Cold War and to enter the age of peace, prosperity and development.