The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: President Richard Nixion

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: President Richard Nixion
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Introduction
President Richard Nixon a U.S. President found himself faced with the task of handling issues arising from Cold War during his term of service. During a press conference that was held in Guam, Nixon made an attempt to adapt the U.S foreign policy in handling the Vietnam War which had put a lot of pressure on the ability of the American military in meeting America’s global commitments (Gholz, 2009). The Vietnam War spanned the office terms of five U.S. Presidents; Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. In the year Nixon became the president, he tried to reconcile the parties on constructive terms. He held secret negotiations between the North Vietnamese and Kissinger where he warned that if no major progress were achieved by the month of November 1969, U.S. would be compelled to take measures with greater consequences. However, the above and some other measures taken by Nixon did not yield any success. Since by the time Nixon took office in early 1969 the war had claimed over 25,000 American troops and numerous Vietnamese, Nixon had to change the strategy of ending the war (Friedman & Levantrosser, 199; McNamara, 1995). This essay discusses the doctrine adopted by Nixon in the attempt to end the Vietnam War as well as its consequences.
In 1969, Nixon handled the Cold War adversity as well as its victory in a rapid progression. Despite the much effort United States had made, the war was still continuing. Many Americans; antiwar protesters had severally protested on college campuses and American cities. During his campaign, Nixon had promised to establish peace with honor in Vietnam. In July 1969, he attended a press conference in Guam as he conducted a multination tour. In the conference, Nixon declared that it was time the United States had to be quite categorical on two points while dealing with the Asian allies. In what came to be referred to as Nixon Doctrine, the president made three promises. First he assured the Asian allies to America that America would honor their treaty commitments. Secondly he made clear that America would adopt a different stance when it comes to military defense apart from when the threat came from a major power and involved nuclear weapons and when any other nation’s attack would pose insecurity to America. Thirdly, in regard to military defense, Nixon said that America would change the strategy by encouraging the involved nations to handle and take responsibility of the war themselves. Nixon also said that the American troops would gradually be withdrawn from the area of conflict (Southeast Asia) and then replaced by troops from South Vietnam. However, America would furnish military and offer economic assistance if a request was made in accordance with the treaty commitment. In addition, America would give special attention to the nation that would be incapable of assuming primary responsibility of offering manpower for its defense (Friedman & Levantrosser ; Gholz, 2009).
Nixon tried to end Vietnam War through improved relations where he collaborated with Chinese and Soviets in pressurizing North Vietnam to end war. He achieved this thr...