How successful was Nixon's foreign policy regarding Vietnam?

Nixon's policy regarding Vietnam was characterised by his rhetoric 'Peace with honor'. He was determined to not be the first American to lose a war, but also realised that US withdrawal was necessary. Nixon carried out the policy of Vietnamisation, which aimed towards handing the war back to the Vietnamese. The US sent financial aid and military equipment to SVA, while withdrawing troops in the hopes that the South could defend itself. However, when Vietnamisation was tested in the Lam Son offensive the SVA was defeated presenting that Nixon's policy had failed.On the other hand, Nixon can be seen to have reached success in his pursuit of peace, as Kissinger reached a deal with North Vietnam at the Paris Peace accords in 1973. This deal was successful as it resulted in a ceasefire and led to the withdrawal of US troops and the survival of South Vietnam. However, it was unsuccessful in the sense that South Vietnam was very unstable and the NVA were allowed to stay in the Southern territory, which ultimately led to the fall of South Vietnam under Nixon's successor Gerald Ford. Therefore, when evaluating the success of foreign policy it is important to consider both sides of the argument and recognise areas of potential achievement and areas of potential failure.

Answered by Jake P. History tutor

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