Us Foreign Policy During The Vietnam War Containment And...

US Foreign Policy During the Vietnam War: Containment and Dà ©tente In 1960s, the US was faced with another crisis of communist expansion in the war between North and South Vietnam. The Kennedy Administration decided to further pursue their containment strategy out of fear being seen by the international community as weak towards communism. During the Johnson Administration, an attack against American vessels that happened in the Gulf of Tonkin led to President Johnson being granted the ability to conduct broad military operations without congressional approval. The American public began to largely oppose American intervention in Vietnam because the optimistic statements made by the government ran contradictory to the reports of the violent fighting by American news outlets. During the Nixon administration, the US switched to a policy, later known as Vietnamization, where the main goal was to strengthen the South Vietnamese forces and provide them with better armaments so they can better defend themselves. Vietnamization proved to be ineffective as t he South Vietnamese forces were unable to hold their own against the North without US air support as proven during Operation Lam Son 719 and the Easter Offensive. The signing of the Paris Peace Accords officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam War. The US followed containment policies during beginning of the war due to the underlying fear of the spread of communism and since the policies were inherited from previousShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Identity And Security1400 Words   |  6 Pagesidentity. In the following section, this essay will be using the elements of interests, alliances, and fear of the other to demonstrate the underpinning of the relationship in the three events of the Vietnam War, dà ©tente and the 2003 Iraq invasion. Interests are important in the relationship as it allows us to observe why a state is involved in a conflict. With the U.S., the majority of the time it is interested in promoting its identity to oppose another’s identity. Interests also allow for the understandingRead MoreThe Cold War Between The United States And The Soviet Union1268 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War grew out of post-World War II tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the war did not bring about large scale fighting, there remained a constant threat of a catastrophic nuclear war. 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In 1979, the Soviet Union made a fateful decision of invading Afghanistan. To put at risk this easing of strained relations which began in 1971 with the Soviet invasion, USSR must have had a valid enoughRead MoreEssay on The Foreign Policy of the USA956 Words   |  4 PagesThe Foreign Policy of the USA Americans viewed themselves as geographically isolated and this made them believe they could withdraw from the rest of the world and focus on their own affairs, notably after the great depression. It meant that the USA avoided being involved in foreign disputes that may lead to war. Americans believed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans protected them. b.) Describe how the US contributed to winning the Second World War. [4] TheRead MoreThe Complexity of Nixon’s Opening of China Anthony Bushong Professor Deborah Larson TA:2900 Words   |  12 PagesRepublic of China. The history of the aforementioned hostilities between the United States and the PRC dates back to the Chinese Communist Party’s takeover of mainland China following its civil war in the post-World War II era. When the PRC was formally proclaimed in 1949 towards the close of the Chinese Civil War, the United States decided against recognizing its establishment and instead chose to back Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China. This decision was a product of its political environment