Compare And Contrast The Policies Of Nixon And Vietnam

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Honourable Peace. This was the strategy employed by President Nixon with regards to ending the war in Vietnam. Promising the U.S public of this ‘peace with honour’ ensured his victory in both the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. Given that he was a resolute ‘hawk’ and known to be a ‘cold war warrior’ and in addition to America having ‘lost’ China to communism and not able to afford another large-scale setback, it was a surprising turn of events that Nixon became the first president to begin U.S withdrawal from Vietnam. (www.lars-klein.com ) When Nixon was elected president, Vietnam was causing great unrest in the domestic front and the political climate in the U.S was one of fierce division and antagonism between the ‘Hawks’ and the ‘Doves’. …show more content…

In order to facilitate a smooth U.S withdrawal or ‘honourable peace’, Nixon deployed a series of policies created to end the conflict while also attempting to maintain America’s position as an undefeatable world superpower. The first of these policies was the creation of the Nixon Doctrine. Crafted on the 25th of July 1969, the doctrine outlined significant changes in U.S foreign policy concerning Vietnam, the support provided to the South Vietnamese Army and U.S attitude towards its allies worldwide. No longer would America use its military to defend and fight for its allies. Each country allied to the U.S would be required to ensure their own military victories, specifically concerning the use of ground troops. In particular, while the U.S would still continue to train and economically support the South Vietnamese Army, Nixon would begin the proceedings for withdrawing the U.S troops present in South Vietnam. In 1969 there were 475,000 US troops serving in Vietnam but by the following year there were 344,600 and just two years later only 24,200 U.S troops remained in Vietnam (Class Notes, 2014). This drastic reduction in ground troops in only three years demonstrated the President’s resolve and commitment to his Doctrine and his desire to be known as the