7020 - International Relations (Lesson)
International Relations
Richard Nixon: Vietnam
Richard Nixon, a lifetime politician and former presidential hopeful who ran against John F. Kennedy, had reemerged to successfully win the 1968 presidential election. President Lyndon Baines Johnson did not seek election and after the tragic assassination of Robert Kennedy, the Democratic Party was chaotically split on their candidate for presidency. Republican Richard Nixon ran for president on a campaign platform to end the war in Vietnam. However, when he took office, Nixon increased efforts in Vietnam and even secretly bombed the neighboring nation of Cambodia which had long harbored the North Vietnamese on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The anti-war movement gained further momentum upon Nixon’s escalation and deception domestically. The pinnacle of America’s frustration with the Vietnam War and government trust came at the death of four university students shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State University. Nixon, like his predecessors, failed to bring the war to a conclusion and lost the trust of the American people in the process. The anti-war movement was successful at bringing the war to an end, although the conclusion of the war is ultimately seen as a failure.
Richard Nixon: China
The United States’ relationship with the People’s Republic of China had disintegrated during the Cold War. When Mao Zedong and his Communist forces took control of mainland China, the United States and other nations chose to formally recognize Taiwan as the legitimate Chinese government. Upon the United States’ disastrous foreign involvement in Vietnam, Nixon wished to improve foreign relations throughout the world--especially in Asia. The Soviet Union and China competed for dominance in their region and their relationship was increasingly tense. Nixon and his administration saw an opportunity to “normalize” international relations with China and sought to do so. In 1972 Nixon became the first president to visit communist China. Nixon and his administration agreed to a “One China” policy which included Taiwan as a part of China rather than a separate nation. Nixon’s trip included negotiations to open trade between the United States and China. The agreement prompted further intervention in North Vietnam which ultimately led to a formal peace treaty in 1973.
Jimmy Carter: Camp David Accords
Georgia native Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976 by American voters who hoped Carter would bring change and trust to the presidency. Carter, the first president from the state of Georgia, focused his foreign policy on the foundation of human rights. One of the key achievements of Carter’s foreign policy was the Camp David Accords of 1978. Named after Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, the Camp David Accords established peace between Israel and Egypt. Over the course of two weeks, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin settled on a treaty that called on Egypt to recognize Israel as a nation and for Israel to remove troops from the Sinai Peninsula. The Camp David Accords were championed throughout the nation and world.
Jimmy Carter: Iranian Revolution and Hostage Crisis
While Carter’s foreign policy was a widely recognized success, his foreign policy legacy is tied to the failures in Iran. The United States had historically supported the Shah of Iran. The Shah backed Western policies and was influenced by Western ideals. However, he and his wife were also egregious abusers of their wealth and power. While the Shah brought Western education and economics to Iran, many Iranian citizens desired a more traditional Islamic government and way of life. Islamic fundamentalists in Iran led the Iranian Revolution and the overthrow of the Iranian government and the United States-backed Shah. These fundamentalists were led by the Ayatollah Khomeini and the group encouraged hatred and violence against Western society, especially against the United States. In 1979, the Shah sought medical treatment for cancer in the United States. In response, Iranian fundamentalists stormed the American embassy in Tehran, Iran and captured 52 American diplomats who worked in the embassy. After a failed rescue mission and a series of intense negotiations, the 444 day Iranian Hostage Crisis ended just as Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president in January 1980. The Iranians released the hostages the day of President Ronald Reagan inauguration so that the achievement would not occur under the Carter Administration.
Ronald Reagan: Cold War
Ronald Reagan was associated with many momentous events, both foreign and domestic, during his tenure as president. However, his work to end the Cold War is a lasting legacy. The United States had seen strong economic growth over the course of the Cold War that outpaced the Soviet Union. As such, President Reagan looked to increase the funding to the United States military to provide technological innovations to combat the Soviet military threat. Reagan’s infamous Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a futuristic approach to missile defense. The initiative was so forward thinking that the media dubbed it “Star Wars” in relation to the popular film franchise of the 1970s. However, President Reagan’s initiative was possible utilizing American resources and ingenuity. The same could not be said of the Soviet Union. The imbalance and perhaps fear prompted the Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev to begin reforms.
Soviet President Gorbachev’s two main policies were Perestroika and Glasnost. Perestroika focused on economic reform to vary the markets in which the Soviet Union was vested. Glasnost, translated to “openness,” sought to provide increased transparency with Soviet information--especially with regard to government information. These policies reflected a more democratic approach to government in the Soviet Union. President Reagan used the opportunity and began an open relationship with Soviet President Gorbachev. Reagan and Gorbachev brokered a nuclear arms agreement and Reagan famously urged the removal of the Berlin Wall that separated Communist East Germany and democratic West Germany. The subsequent unification of East and West Berlin mirrored the democratic desires of the former nations under Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. Ultimately, the policies of Soviet President Gorbachev led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and an end to the Cold War.