Foreign Policy and Affairs

Nixon had a lot of impact on foreign policies and affairs. One huge foreign affair he got involved in was the Vietnam War. He and his security of state, Henry Kissinger, had negotiations with North Vietnam and threatened, saying “we will be compelled – with great reluctance – to takes measures of greatest consequences.” Nixon continued to use aircrafts and bomb North Vietnam. Then he planned a bombing of Ho’s supply lines in Cambodia. However his plan didn’t work and North Vietnamese didn’t retreat. Nixon told people that his strategy was the “Vietnamization” which was training the South Vietnamese and withdrawing the American troops. Finally in 1973, last American troops left from Vietnam and South Vietnam soon lost to the North, and was united into one communist country.

He also tried to ease tensions between Communist countries, such as China and Russia. Nixon and Kissinger shaped their foreign policy around philosophy called Realpolitik which means realistic in German. It meant dealing with other powerful countries based on power instead of ideals or moral. One powerful communist country was China. When Mao invited American table tennis players to come to China for friendly match, Nixon thought this was the chance to develop relationship with China. Nixon sent Kissinger to China to arrange a visit by Nixon. Surprisingly, Mao allowed, and Nixon was the first president to visit China.

Nixon also tried to ease tension with Russia. Soon after Nixon’s visit to China, he went to Russia to meet with Leonid Brezhnev. He was again, the first president to visit Moscow. When he went to Russia, Nixon and Brezhnev improved relationship between Russia and the US. One example of this was the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, or SALT, and Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which reduced and limited the number of nuclear weapons. This policy of easing tensions between communist country and USA is called as Détente.