President Nixons Secret Bombing of Cambodia Essay

In the 1960s and 1970s, the most controversial war the United States had ever been involved in during its rich two-hundred year history would engulf the country, ultimately leading to the collapse of a president, and the division of a nation. The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam and neighboring countries from 1959-1975 involving the North Vietnamese and NLF (National Liberation Front) versus the United States and the South Vietnamese (The Vietnam...). In 1969, newly elected President Richard M. Nixon, aiming to achieve peace with honor in Vietnam, began to put his Vietnamization policy into place -- removing the number of American military personnel in the country and transferring combat roles to the South†¦show more content†¦Taking the oath of office in January of 1969, Nixon was thrown head-first into a war that was escalating quickly and, at the same time, infuriated many Americans who believed that it wasnt the nations job to be world police. Now ho lding the reigns of the country, he was stuck in a Vietnam predicament -- his first decisions would be of utmost importance for the safety of our soldiers and for the well-being of the nation. Nixon had very few plausible options however. While a vocal sector of the public was clamoring for immediate withdrawal of troops, he understood that its disadvantages were too great -- not only would withdrawal compromise American credibility as a world power, he felt that it would also undermine his ability to negotiate with foreign powers during the remainder of his term (Bondi 237). Nuclear weapons were also not an alternative. We were still involved in the Cold War with the USSR -- if we opted to nuclear weapons, not only would we most likely end up instigating a World War III, we could not risk setting the precedent by using nuclear warfare to dictate world order (Bondi 237). Nixons last choice, attempting to persevere for a conventional military victory in Vietnam, was a large risk to o urShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at the Watergate Scandal1050 Words   |  5 Pagescharacterized by political controversy and instability. The Watergate crisis is the most infamous scandal that occurred within those years, and arguably, in American political history. The event occurred in 1972 and it redefined American political culture. Nixon’s involvement in the incident (and other controversies leading up to Watergate) led to a loss of faith in government and a transition to the public’s reliance on the media. However, Watergates long term positive effects negate its obviously negativeRead MoreLyndon Johnson And The Vietnam War934 Words   |  4 PagesJohnson who had left while the Vietnam War was still in effect. Many Americans had the expectation that Nixon would be the â€Å"peaceful president†, visualizing he would put an end to this war in Southeast Asian and bring back home our troops. A policy Nixon redefined was the American role in the world by sug gesting to limit the U.S resources and commitments. Therefore, Nixon’s set his efforts to end the war since the withdrawal from Vietnam was not an immediate option. Also, Nixon had his radar on MoscowRead MorePresident Nixons International and Domestic Challenges Essay1584 Words   |  7 PagesName Teacher AP US History September 20, 2012 President Richard M. Nixon’s administration had to face many international and domestic challenges in the United States between 1968 and 1974, some positive and some negative. His achievements in expanding peaceful relationships with both China and the Soviet Union are contrastingly different with his continuation of the Vietnam War. In the end, Nixon’s scandals and abuse of presidential power caught up to him, and his administration did much toRead MoreEssay on Americas Role in the Vietnam War4756 Words   |  20 Pagesindependence headed by the communist Vietminh, headed by Ho Chi Minh, against the French rulers of Indochina. In August 1945 Vietminh guerrillas seized the capital city of Hanoi. They fought for an independent Vietnam, with Ho Chi Minh as their president. During this uprising the French lost their colony and they wanted to regain their power. This started a long war in 1946. During this war, the former emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, was given help by the French to become the leader of the country.Read MoreThe United States Of America1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States of America is a nation that displays strong democratic tradition but history teaches us that there have been presidents whom have demonstrated imperialism. Imperialism occurs when a stronger nation takes over by force a weaker nation or region and then imposes it’s economic, political and or cultural life on that region. Imperialism has been around for centuries beginning in the ancient world when great empires arose due to a civilization or religious belief attempting to dominateRead MoreAnd The Saigon Government Has Pledged To Accept The Result1496 Words   |  6 PagesAdministration had plans in place and planned to give up on the war and pulling out. â€Å"But as he entered office, he found that by the end of the Johnson administration, the goal of victory had been abandoned and a commitment had been made to end the bombing of North Vietnam.† This set his strategy back because it was the opposite of his promise to end the war with peace and honor. Adding into this was the fact that the leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, would not accept any terms of the agreementsRead MoreRichard Nixon Essay628 Words   |  3 Pagesmistakes, he made a good president. Until 1968, most Americans saw Richard Nixon as a political has-been, a dour pre-McCarthy hunter of Communists. In 1968, however, Nixon won the Presidency by presenting himself as a healer of divisions. He demonstrated that he had greater ability to reinvent himself than any other modern politician. More than any other figure between the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his own resignation in 1974, Nixon was the pivotal postwar President. The architect of detenteRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal Essay546 Words   |  3 Pagesscandal and constitutional crisis that began with the arrest of five burglars who broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at t he Watergate office in Washington D.C. on the night of June 17, 1972. It ended with the resignation of president Richard M. Nixon. The burglars and two co-potters-G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt were indicated on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping. Four monthes later, they were convicted and sentenced to prison terms by District Court JudgeRead MorePresident Nixon And The Watergate Scandal1641 Words   |  7 PagesPresident Nixon not only abused his powers as president of the United States, but he also completely disregarded the Constitution and the oath of office of the President of the United States. President Nixon is most famous for his involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal, which took place on June 17th, 1972 (Timeline). Nixon hired six burglars to break into the Democratic National Committee’s offices, which were located inside the Watergate office, complex in Washington. The burglars’ missionRead MoreRichard Nixon s Foreign Policy22 11 Words   |  9 PagesGeorge Washington, our first president, decided that isolationism would protect America. And while Americans followed Washington’s philosophy for decades, foreign policy still leaked through the cracks. The Monroe doctrine radically shifted America isolationism from complete dissociation to selective dissociation. Overall, America’s foreign goals have shifted further outward as the years went on. Although many presidents boast adroit foreign policies, Richard Nixon’s foreign policy deserves a larger