1.) Oddly, during the Cold War the U.S. found itself supporting entities throughout the world that did not even remotely share the deeply held American democratic ideals of elected representative governments and personal liberties for its' citizenry.  Why was this the case?

2.) Despite the ominous setting of imminent nuclear confrontation, men like Tito of Yugoslavia, Mao of China and DeGaulle of France were able to maintain an impressive sense of autonomy from their respective ideological superpowers.  Sadat from Egypt was even able to craftily switch alliances in midstream.  How could this be the case?

3.) George Kennan complained in 1948 that position in the United Nations resembled " a contest of tableaux morts."  What exactly is that?

4.) What was " plausible deniability" and why was its' usage so popular among the American Presidents during the Cold War?

5.) If detente was indeed diminishing the danger of a Cold War, then why would it continue to be so dangerous to apply moral standards in conducting the Cold War?

6.) Despite a series of diplomatic miscues in the Helsinki accords that further strained super power relations, a superbly talented man not trained in foreign diplomacy proved to be a formidable United States ally.  He did not sit in on any of the the strategic nuclear armament talks and was practically able to singlehandedly counter the prevailing Soviet rhetoric that somehow Communism was openly embraced by the Eastern bloc countries.  His name was Karol Wojtyla.  Who was he and how was he able to accomplish all that he did?

7.) What was one of the prominent philosophical ironies of the archly conservative Ronald Reagan during the Strategic Defense Initiative talks?

8.) Surprisingly, for a revolution as significant as this one was in 1989, there was very little bloodshed in Russia.  What were the conditions that made this so?  Why couldn't the same be said for China?

9.) Why did Gorbachev grudgingly concede to a unified Germany falling within the NATO alliance.  What did this concession by the Russians signify?

10.) If the American people could excuse the bald face lies told by Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower in their efforts to conduct foreign policy, why would they excoriate President Nixon in opening negotiations with China?