The period of tripolarity may be di

The period of tripolarity may be divided roughly into two : from 1971 until 1979, when the United State still sought detente with the soviet union and when sino-soviet relations continued to be marked by deep enmity; and from 1980 to 1989, which was characterized initially by greater enmity between the united states and the soviet union and a slow improvement in sino-soviet relations that by the late 1980s ended in a more balanced relationship between the three powers, culminating in the normalization of sino-soviet relations and the ending of cold war. As seen from the more mechanistic view of the strategic triangle, the united state was favoured by the ‘pivot’ position during the first period as it alone enjoyed good relations with the other two, who in turn sought to cultivate Washington against the other rival. But it was principally china who became the ‘pivot’ in the second period as it benefited from the deterioration of relations between the other two and was accordingly cultivated by them. However, tripolarity was only one of the elements that shaped relations between the three great powers.