The Middle East

Yom Kippur War:

In 1967 some of the Arab states around Israel had lost land after the Six Day War, a conflict between Israel and some Arab states including Syria and Egypt.  Syria and Egypt were mad about this and attacked Israel on Yom Kippur.  The superpowers created a buffer zone, but Israel and the United States crossed it.  The Soviet Union offered to use their troops to hold the line, and the possible confrontation of the two superpowers again had the world on edge.

Afghanistan:

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support the communists there, and the United States backed an anti-Soviet and anti-communist action that same year.  These actions brought an end to detente between the two countries.