2nd January 1980: Jimmy Carter instigates the end of détente after the USSR invades Afghanistan

President Carter had come to power in January 1977 in the midst of a period of a reduction in tensions between the USA and the USSR. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks that began under Richard Nixon and resulted in the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty are often presented as one of détente’s greatest achievements. This led to a second round of talks that sought to build on the original agreement and begin physically reducing the number of nuclear weapons held by each country. Despite such shows of cooperation