1. NIXON AND THE COLD WAR 20.5

2. Nixon’s Foreign Policy  Nixon + Kissinger redefined Cold War American foreign policy  Realpolitik: Political goals should be defined by concrete national interests as opposed to abstract ideologies

3. Nixon’s Foreign Policy  Put aside Cold War biases = China + S.U. (ideological enemies) could be very beneficial trading partners  They agreed there was no worldwide communist mvm’t  Flexible vs. absolute foreign policy

4. Nixon Reaches out to China  “Nixon wants to recognize China.”  The People’s Republic of China was not formally recognized by the U.S. + not allowed in U.N. Taiwan was serving China’s seat  Nixon knew China was too big to be ignored forever  VERY unlike him!  Said improving relations w/ China would actually benefit the U.S. Economically for trade Politically to hurt the S.U. Force NV to a negotiated peace

5. Nixon Normalizes Relations With China  Lots to gain + little to lose = Nixon goes w/ his plans  April 1971 – China invites U.S. table tennis team to play against the Chinese  Demonstrated the China was willing to talk  ∴ Kissinger worked behind the scenes to solve sensitive issues w/ Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai

6. Nixon Visits China  February 1972: Nixon made the historic trip to China  Toured the Great Wall, Imperial Palace, etc  Talked at length w/ Premier Zhou Enlai + Mao Zedong  Learned a Chinese toast (in Chinese)  Successful in normalizing relations w/ China  One year later American tourists started going to China!  1979 = full diplomatic relations opened up b/w U.S + China

7. Détente With the Soviet Union  B/c of meeting/w China, Brezhnev (replaced Khrushchev in 1964) feared the S.U. would be isolated  ∴ he invited Nixon to the S.U.!

8. Nixon Visits the Soviet Union  Nixon went in May 1972 + established SALT I Treaty:  Froze the deployment of ICBM’s  Limited # antiballistic missiles to 1972 levels  Limited the # of submarine missiles they could have

9. Détente With the Soviet Union  Détente: Policy of easing Cold War tensions  Moving away from suspicion + distrust towards diplomacy  Nixon visited China + S.U. several times ∴  Relaxed the inflexible U.S. stance against communism  More realistic approach to foreign policy  Was able to reach a peace agreement in Vietnam  Each a step closer to the end of the Cold War