Thus the term presidential doctrine refers to a statement given by the president regarding the armed and foreign policies. A president announces a doctrine to bring a change or reform in the policies of a country according to his opinions. Nixon’s doctrine was announced to end the bloodshed of a long war and to sojourn the spread of communism. Background of the United States Diplomatic Efforts during President Nixon’s time After the World War II the shape of the world politics changed. United tates came out as a Nuclear power.
With time, the tension increased between the USA and the Soviet Union. The old rivalry among the communists and the capitalists still prevailed. The main contradictory issues were the soviet dominance over Eastern Europe and control of atomic weapons. China becoming a communist nation and the North Korean invasion of South Korea turned these into a global conflict. When North Vietnam – communist nation – invaded the anti-communist South Vietnam the Americans retaliated against a communist capture by sending American troops to aid South Vietnam (About Vietnam war 2013).
Millions of American and Vietnam soldiers died during this long bloody war. Hence to prevent further bloodshed President Nixon announced the Nixon Doctrine (Jeffery 59-75) stating that aid would be given to the American allies provided that the nation would take the majority part in defense. However his strategy also focused on sending significant military aid to anti-communism governments (Bilhartz, 2007). When the British evacuated Persian Gulf the area became a vacuum between USA and Soviet Union.
So the USA opened military aid to allies in the Persian Gulf. It also applied to the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Iran and any other country that may have an issue with communist aggression. Nixon approved the delivery of military aid to the democratic government of Taiwan which prevented China’s communist government from invading. China disapproved the United States’ interference which deteriorated their relations. (Johnson, 2011) US Diplomacy before the Nixon Doctrine Iran’s location between the USSR and the Persian Gulf, and the presence of major oil reserves—guaranteed the country’s importance during the Cold War.
The emergence of the global military and ideological competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was also a huge factor. Fear of losing influence in a vital part of the world to Soviet-led Communism motivated much of American foreign policy for the next several decades. The actions of the United States during the Azerbaijan crisis were seen as a sign of genuine respect for the rights of sovereign states which made a powerful impression on the Iranian people. However the overthrowing of Mosaddeq’s government and replacing him with a more amenable figure, Mohammad Reza Shah, came to be seen by many Iranians as a change in American conduct—from munificent protector of smaller countries to archetypal great power pursuing its own interests.
The new Shah’s policies turned Iran’s pivot toward the West which intrigued the Nixon administration, who saw much benefit from allying with an oil-rich Middle Eastern country open to Western influence and modernization. Nixon saw Iran as the primary player to maintain peace in a region that threatened superpower relations and held key energy resources. Explication of the Presidential Doctrine of President Nixon President Nixon had an effective diplomatic policy. The policy ensured the
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