Foreign Policy and Affairs

Vietnam:

Nixon had the pleasure of inheriting the Vietnam war debacle from President Johnson. During Nixon's campaign for presidency he claimed to have a "secret plan" to end the conflict but as it turned out this was merely a campaign gimmick to win the election. When Nixon assumed presidency the death rate of the soldiers in Vietnam were up to 300 per week. As an effort to decrease American involvement in Vietnam he visited South Vietnam in 1969 and established "Vietnamization" which handed over the responsibility of fighting to the Vietnamese troops. This plan of Vietnamization was step towards what Nixon called "peace with honor". Despite all this the protests about US involvement in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia continued to rage on. By December 1972 troops were finally rotating back home and by 1973 there were no more US troops in S.E. Asia.

China:

Not only did Nixon have to face the challenge of the Vietnam war during his presidency he also adopted relations and foreign policy with recently independent China. In 1960 China had split from the Soviet Union creating tensions between the two, and during March of '69 tensions were unsettlingly high. To much negative by advisers and fellow politicians feedback Nixon used this opportunity to create and build diplomatic relations with China. This political risk turned out to be beneficial to the United States. By April of '71 the American table-tennis team was invited to compete in China. In accordance the Chinese sent their table-tennis team to the US this was referred to as "Ping-Pong Diplomacy". By 1972 Nixon personally visited China and agreed upon the final document known as the Shanghai Communique, which established point on which both nations agreed upon. Although Nixon had failed in Vietnam diplomacy and foreign relations in China were a huge success.

Soviet Union:

After great success in China Nixon drew up plans to meet with the leader of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev. Nixon arrived in Russia on May 22, 1972 and immediately engaged in intense relations regarding international issues. The following result of these meetings included increased trade and two landmark arms control treaties, one of which being SALT I. This was to be the first comprehensive limitation pact signed between the US and the USSR. This deal caused Nixon and Brezhnev to Proclaim a new era of "peaceful coexistence" which lead to the creation of a new policy called "Detente". This policy replaced the cold war and ceased tensions between both superpowers.