The Sino-Soviet Split, Part 1
On this episode of American Prestige, Jeremy Friedman on the relationship between China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

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Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background!
On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet Split. They lay out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union’s image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev’s “secret speech”, theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s.
Grab a copy of Jeremy’s bookShadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!
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Nikita S. Khrushchev (right) chatting with Mao Zedong.
(Bettmann Archive / Getty Images)On this episode of American Prestige, we welcome back Jeremy Friedman, assistant professor of business, government, and international economy at Harvard, to talk about the Sino-Soviet split. He lays out the state of play in the mid-1950s, the potential for détente, how the two powers are reconciling with their increasingly competing interests, the implications for the Soviet Union’s image among other communists in the wake of Khrushchev’s “secret speech,” theoretical transformations in what communism means during this period, how decolonization plays into the split, why Khrushchev pulled Soviet aid when China needed it most, and more through the mid-1960s.
Please listen to our Sino-Soviet primer episode for some background!
Grab a copy of Jeremy’s book Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World!
Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Derek welcomes back Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder and CEO of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins University, to discuss the economic consequences of the Iran war and its implications for the Gulf and the global economy. They discuss Iran’s strikes on Gulf infrastructure, disruptions to shipping and energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz, risks to logistics hubs like Dubai and Doha, rising oil prices, the vulnerability of global supply chains, and the potential long-term economic impact of the conflict on the Gulf.
Read Esfandyar’s article in Foreign Policy, “The Iran War Is Jeopardizing the Entire Global Economy.”
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