NixonAdministration

Return to Conservatism

20.5 Nixon and theCold War

Nixon and Foreign PolicyWas a very good President at Foreign Policy

Henry Kissinger the major reason Nixon was so successful in foreign policy

•Realpolitik- basing foreign policy on realistic views of national interest rather than broad rules or principles.

What does this mean?

*Détente-the cooling of tensions between capitalism and communism

Nixon Goes To China

• Understanding that Soviet and China were not getting along- Nixon decides to take advantage and try and split them (Realpolitik)

First our Ping Pong team is invited to China and we accept “Ping Pong Diplomacy”

Nixon first president to visit communist China- Soviet Union wonders what is going on so they invite Nixon to visit them. many things start to change for the better between the U.S. and the major communist powers (Détente)

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

Nixon Goes To China

S.A.L.T.Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (S.A.L.T)- reduction of the number of missiles that The Soviet Union and U.S. have

By mid 1970’s each side had25,000 warheads

Today U.S.-10,000 Russia-15,000

Known nuclear countries:

U.S., Russia, England, France, China, India, Pakistan, N. Korea and Israel

Middle East Problems

• OPEC- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

*** Not only in the Middle East***

Israeli-Arab Conflict

• Since the formation of Israel in 1947 her Arab neighbors have wanted to destroy her. Series of wars have been fought.

• 1967-Six Day War- supposedly reason why Sirhan Sirhan shot RFK

• 1973-Yom Kippur War- this one serious-Soviet Union sides with Arabs- U.S. helps Israel

• Because U.S. sides with Israel, OPEC puts an oil embargo on the U.S. (stops selling oil to us)

• 1/3 of oil came from foreign sources. Today 2/3 of our oil comes from foreign sources ½ of that is from OPEC. Actually Canada is our biggest oil partner.

Yom Kippur War

Embargo Effects

• Gas went from .38¢ to .55¢ (1 year time)

rationing system could only fill up byLast number of license plate. This one Could only fill up on odd days of the month

Though Oil Embargo lasted about a year the affects will last until late 1970s- another gas crisis will hit in 1979.

How was it solved?

Shuttle Diplomacy