The Cold War between the vanquished Soviet Union and the United States was simple and straightforward. Military power was balanced by mutually assured destruction.
The two sides argued, feared and created myths about each other.
A form of Cold War continues today. Angry rhetoric, provocative acts and the questioning of deed and intent shape the discussion. The participants do not trust each other. Political shae ups in Britain, France and Germany, with imminent change in Russia and the U.S., not to mention the addition of China and India as world powers, complicates the dialogue.
