The only apparent consensus about the Nixon Presidency is that his accomplishments in the foreign policy area far outshadowed those in the domestic arena. The advances for which he was responsible--in particular, the opening to China--brought the most significant improvement in foreign relations among the great powers in decades. The Nixon diplomacy worked, while many of his domestic programs failed. This was true, the editors of this Hofstra-sponsored volume maintain, because there was more of a sense of realism and caution in his dealings with foreign governments and a willingness to compromise and accommodate their interests--a tolerance he often lacked in the domestic area.This volume outlines the main components of the Nixon foreign policy, beginning with the significant effort to bring China into the world community. The manner in which the Vietnam war was ended is examined, as are the evolution of American policy in the Middle East and the efforts at detente. With essays and observations from scholars and participants in the making of that policy, this volume is significant reading for all students of American foreign policy and the presidency.

A comprehensive examination of Nixon's foreign policy from the vantage point of participants and scholars.

PrefaceForeign Policy InitiativesOverall AssessmentThe Nixon Foreign Policy by Henry A. Kissinger, Introduced by Han XuThe Opening to ChinaPresident Nixon and Sino-U.S. Relations by Han XuThe Asian Balance and Sino-American Rapprochement during the Nixon Administration by Robert G. SutterDiscussantJerome A. CohenEnding the Vietnam WarThe American Withdrawal from Vietnam: Some Military and Political Considerations by William M. HammondSecret Commitments in President Nixon's Foreign Policy: The National Security Council and Nixon's Letters to South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu by Nguyen Tien Hung and Jerrold L. SchecterDiscussantsFrances FitzGeraldGuenter LewyRobert MillerDétente and the Soviet UnionThe Rise and Stall of Détente, 1969-1974 by Robert D. SchulzingerDiscussantsAleksandr M. BelonogovHedrick SmithHelmut SonnenfeldtThe Middle East and Energy PolicyPeace or Oil: The Nixon Administration and Its Middle East Policy Choices by Gideon DoronDiscussantsAlfred L. AthertonHermann Frederick EiltsJo-Ann HartDale R. TahitnenThe Foreign Policy ProcessDefense and National SecurityThe Defense Policies of the Nixon Administration: A Decade of Neglect or Prudent Readjustment? by Lawrence J. KorbThe Making of the All-Volunteer Armed Forces by Martin AndersonDiscussantsMartin BinkinAdam YarmolinskyForeign Policy DevelopmentThe Nixon Doctrine as History and Portent by Earl C. RavenalRichard Nixon as Summit Diplomat by Elmer PlischkeContinuities and Contradictions in the Nixon Foreign Policy by Kenneth ThompsonDiscussantsLloyd S. EtheredgeRoger MorrisThe War Powers ResolutionNixon vs. the Congress: The War Powers Resolution, 1973 by Philip J. BriggsThe War Powers Resolution: An Intersection of Law and Politics by Nathan N. FirestoneDiscussantsHarold H. KohBurt Neuborne