Decade: 1960s
Explore geopolitical analyses, international crises, and diplomatic developments during the 1960s.
Published Chronicles & Analyses
The Sino-Soviet Border Conflict of 1969: Clashes on the Ussuri River
The peak of Sino-Soviet tensions: an armed border conflict on Zhenbao Island that almost led to a full-scale war between the two nuclear giants.
The Prague Spring of 1968: The Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia
The attempts to reform socialism ('socialism with a human face') in Czechoslovakia and Moscow's brutal response by sending Warsaw Pact troops.
The Six-Day War of 1967: Redefining the Middle East Map
Israel's preemptive strike against Arab states, leading to a swift six-day victory and the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai.
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident of 1964: Escalation in Vietnam
How a controversial naval incident in the Gulf of Tonkin was used to pass a Congressional resolution for sending mass US troops to Vietnam.
The Sino-Indian War of 1962: Clash on the Roof of the World
The brief but intense border conflict in the Himalayas that damaged relations between Asia's two giants and altered the balance of power.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962: Thirteen Days on the Brink of Apocalypse
How Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba brought the world to the edge of nuclear war and how secret diplomacy saved humanity.
The Belgrade Conference of 1961: Founding the Non-Aligned Movement
The historic summit in Belgrade where 25 nations offered an alternative to the bloc division of the world, creating the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961: The CIA's Cuban Debacle
The failed invasion of Cuba by US-backed exiles, which strengthened Castro's regime and pushed him directly into the Soviet sphere.
The Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961: The Physical Division of Europe
The rising of the Berlin Wall to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West and its role as the ultimate symbol of the Iron Curtain.
The Sino-Soviet Split: The Great Schism of the Communist World
How the two largest communist regimes in the world turned from close allies into bitter enemies and geopolitical rivals.