Assignment 2: Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: Nixon’s Doctrine

David Garcia

POL 300 Contemporary International Problems

Dr. Timothy Smith

August 5, 2017

A situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during Nixon’s time in office.

A situation that required the diplomatic efforts of the U.S during Nixon’s time is the Vietnam War. When Richard assumed the presidency in 1969, the United States had been in conflict with Vietnam for about four years. The conflict had already resulted in the demise of more than 25,000 American soldiers and numerous Vietnamese (Barr, 1991). Victory for the war did not seem forthcoming. In the U.S, this had attracted internal anti-war rhetoric. Protests against the war had become a common occurrence in American cities and colleges. Before assuming the presidency, Nixon had campaigned on the platform of bringing a peaceful and honorable resolution to the conflict. When he assumed office, he assumed responsibility for the war. He also recognized that ending this crisis was central to the success of his presidency. Consequently, he embarked on an exercise of withdrawing American troops from Vietnam (Barr, 1991).

After talks between the United States and North Vietnam reached a gridlock, Nixon responded with large scale bombing of North Vietnam. This large-scale bombing that was referred to as “Christmas” bombings which resulted in Congressional Democrats to call for an end to the involvement of the United States in Southeast Asia.

Nixon armed the Southern Vietnamese by providing them with improved weaponry and training. He also demonstrated his readiness to bomb even the urban areas and plant mines in the harbors. This was aimed at frightening the North Vietnamese into submission. However, his effort to cut the Ho Chi Minh supply trail by secretly bombing North Vietnamese sanctuaries in Cambodia led to the destabilization of the country and threw the country into a bloody civil war.

Explicate the diplomatic doctrine the president followed, with reference to specific actions or events that occurred.

While campaigning for the presidency in 1968, Nixon had promised the electorate that the United States would seek a “negotiated end to the [Vietnamese] war” (Edwards & Edwards, 2016). Nixon insisted that the right of self-determination ultimately lay with the people of Southern Vietnam and that this had to be respected by all nation including North Vietnam. While he did not divulge details of the plan during the campaign, the plan turned out to be what he called “Vietnamization” (Edwards & Edwards, 2016). It involved turning over the battle on the ground to the South Vietnamese forces with the U.S only providing air support.

The Nixon doctrine was based on the acceptance of the world as it was-at loggerheads and competitive. While his predecessors had been preoccupied with bringing an end to communism, Nixon’s foreign policy was characterized by mutual restraint and coexistence with other world powers. This included the Soviet Union, Japan, Europe and China. President Nixon sought to work with them as long as they promoted global stability which was at the core of his foreign policy. Nixon tried to adopt this doctrine in dealing with the Vietnam War. For instance, he resisted calls to take out American forces from the ground straightaway but instead sought for a way to strengthen the country’s alliances around the globe so as to maintain the U. S’s credibility while sharing the burden of global stability.

The effects of Nixon’s diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries.

Richard Nixon’s diplomatic efforts in his six-year presidential term were pivotal to the United States’ diplomatic history. Before he took office as president of the United States, American foreign policy had been characterized by large-scale military interventions. However, his foreign policy shaped American policy even after he had left office in a dissimilar manner. His diplomatic efforts marked a shift in that American foreign policy was now dominated by aid as opposed to direct military intervention. His approach also had an effect on other countries especially China and the Soviet Union. His diplomatic efforts for instance led to an agreement on nuclear arms control with the Soviet Union (McNamara, 1995). He also heralded the diplomatic opening of China which heralded an end to the Cold War conflict as well as arms reduction treaties.

Conclusion, advantages and disadvantages of the Nixon doctrine.

Nixon’s diplomatic approach of furnishing aid to allies rather than engaging in large scale military invasions was advantageous in that it paved way for a new approach to handling conflicts. It also set a precedent that was to be applied in supporting proxy forces as opposed to sending U.S soldiers to conflict areas. Consequently, U.S soldiers were only sent to conflict areas as a last resort when the interests of the country were under serious threat. The Nixon Doctrine was also beneficial to the United States and the world at large in that it brought an end to the Cold War and set the stage for the control of nuclear arms. However, his approach was also disadvantageous in that it was conflicted. For instance, he withdrew U.S troops from Vietnam whereas in essence he knew that it would lead to collapse of Vietnam which would protract the war (Kimball, 2006). In the end, this ended up blurring his legacy as president.

Barr, R. (1991). The Vietnam War. San Diego: Lucent Books.

Edwards, L., & Edwards, E. (2016). A Brief History of the Cold War. Regnery History.

Kimball, J. (2006). The Nixon Doctrine: A Saga of Misunderstanding. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 59-74.

McNamara, R. (1995). The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. Times Books.