Unit 6. American Foreign Policy Since 1972
Nixon
Accomplishments
Wanted to put pressure on North Vietnam to end war
“Detente” - Opened relations with Soviet Union
SALT: Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty - first treaty to limit development of nuclear weapons between the Soviet Union and US
Nixon visited Moscow in person
Created relations with China for trade & possible entry into UN
Nixon & Kissinger visited Mao Zedong in China
Paris Peace Accords - Completely removed U.S. from Vietnam war
Watergate Scandal
Ex-CIA agents broke into Democratic headquarters in Watergate office in D.C.
Nixon covered up individuals from investigation (“national security”)
Taped conversations revealing Nixon’s involvement were revealed
Nixon refused to give due to “Executive Power” & resigned before impeachment
Created further distrust in government
Ford
Elected immediately after Nixon
Used presidential pardon on Nixon (was not received well by the public)
Events
OPEC - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
During Arab-Israel War, U.S. was supporting Israel, so OPEC countries boycotted U.S. to trade oil
oil prices shot up & lines were long
contributed to inflation
Completely left South Vietnam alone to be taken over by the Communist North
Pulled the last people from the embassy in Saigon
Carter
“I’ll never lie to you” was his message
Did not support dictators under any circumstances
Boycotted Soviet Union in grain sales & did not participate in the Moscow Olympics
Relations with Russia deteriorated
Events
Camp David Accords - Tried to heal relations between Egypt & Israel (somewhat succeeded)
Egypt recognized Israel as a country
Israel gave back the Sinai Peninsula they occupied since the War to Egypt
Iranian Revolution:
Pro-Western Shah of Israel fled the country
Ayatollah Khomeini (a religious leader), returned from exile, took over the country & converted it into a theocracy governed by the law of Islam
Fled because of mass demonstrations filling the streets protesting western support
Iran Hostage Crisis: When Shah sought healthcare in the U.S., Iranian students under Khomeini took the staff of U.S. embassy in Tehran hostage
Carter for his entire presidency was unable to get them out
Reagan
Events
Large number of international terrorism occured:
French and U.S. troops were driven out of Lebanon
Suicide bomber drove into U.S. Embassy in Lebanon
Marine base in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed 6 months later
Bombed West Berlin nightclub
Reagan sent airstrikes over Libya
Reagan Doctrine: Wanted to roll back Communism completely
Afghanistan: supported Muslim fighters by sending assistance to fight Soviet soldiers
Nicaragua: supported Anti-Communist rebels called the Contras
Grenada: Sent troops to fight Soviet invasion
Iran-Contra Scandal - Sold weapons to Iran during Iran-Iraq War to release U.S. hostages in Lebanon; gave money to Contras
Congressional ban to aid Contra
Reagan says he had no knowledge of affair
Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union)
Soviet Union was in a state of decline
decreased motivation in workers
Alcoholism became normal
Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in Soviet Union and passed 2 policies
Glasnost: “Openness” Citizens can now openly criticize government
Perestroika: introduced limited free-enterprise to enter
Events
Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Talks: Reagan and Mikhail met & agreed to the disarmament of nuclear weapons
Strategic Defense Initiative too expensive
gave Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) countries their independence
Fall of Berlin Wall: Reagan called upon Mikhail to bring down the wall & numerous anti-government demonstrations were spreading across eastern Europe
Under President Bush’s administration, the wall fell (1989) & Soviet Union dissolved (1991)
Boris Yeltsin formed a loose association, Commonwealth of Independent States, with former Soviet Republics
Apartheid (South Africa)
Apartheid: The segregation of white and black Africans from each other in South Africa
Opposers in foreign countries wanted investors to stop investments in South Africa & boycotted goods from South Africa
Reagan wanted to follow “constructive engagement” still maintaining business but putting pressure
Congress passed sanctions on Reagan’s veto
Nelson Mandela (a movement leader) was released from Jail
South Africa’s new leader outlawed Apartheid & moved to majority rule
George H.W. Bush
The Cold War ended
U.S. only world power left
Bush wants to use military power to further his goals
Events
Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, was arrested to face drug charges in U.S.
Saddam Hussein: Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi fighters and troops were sent to in Persian Gulf War
NAFTA, (North American Free Trade Agreement), lower tariffs & create cooperation in U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
counter to Europe’s “common market”
Clinton
Yugoslavia: Christian Serbians were attacking Muslims in Kosovo & Bosnia
U.S. stepped up to handle negotiations
American airpower was used when Serbian leaders attacked Bosnia, and caused ethnic Serbs to attack muslims in Kosovo
NATO ended up resolving it
Two groups in Rwanda were fighting: Hutus were slaughtering Tutsis
U.S. was slow to respond 850,000 people were killed
W. Bush
Election of 2000 - W. Bush & Al Gus were competing for the deciding votes in Florida
Suspected foul play in Fl votes
Al Gus wanted recount, Supreme Court stopped him
9-11
9-11: Al-Qaeda (fundamentalist Islamic group in Saudi Arabia) members hijacked 3 planes & crashed them into the twin towers & the pentagon
Another plane was hijacked for the White House
Passengers fought back & plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field instead
3,000+ people dead
George W. Bush demanded Taliban in Afghanistan turn in Osama Bin Laden
called a War on Terror upon Afghanistan
Iraq War
Worried about Saddam Hussein handing nuclear weapons to terrorists,
Deployed U.S. soldiers to overthrow the Iraq government
Soldiers were unable to leave
Rival Iraq groups fought for power
Radical Shiite organized rebellion movement against occupation
Nuclear Weapons were never found
Obama
Events
Disliked W. Bush’s intervention in Iraq, pulled out all soldiers
Killed Osama Bin Laden
Ukraine overthrew pro-Russian government
put sanctions on Russia, when russia occupied a part of Ukraine.
Several African dictators were overthrown
Obama encouraged their governments not to use force against demonstrators
Halt nuclear program in Iran
New group called ISIS emerged
seized territory in Iraq & Syria
Trump
“Make America Great Again”
Put immigration ban on those from Muslim countries
Supreme court vetoed total ban, partial ban was imposed instead
Events
Missile fire on Syria when chemical weapons were used
Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
acknowledged it as its capital
Put tariffs on China (want to make trade fair)
Left Trans-Pacific Agreement proposal
Renegotiated NAFTA to USMC
Biden
“America is Back”
Events
New negotiations to put the U.S. in Iran nuclear deal
Pulled out of Afghanistan
Rejoined Paris Climate Accords
Put sanctions on Russia due to Russia-Ukraine war
Careful not to go to war with Russia
Supply aid to Ukraine
Until Now
Asia
Maintain good trade relations
stop cyber spying from China
Maintain Taiwan’s independence
cooperate to slow down climate change
Caribbean
Cuba: still communist country, show signs of democratic
Haiti, economic aid due to earthquake
Mexico under NAFTA, is a close trading partner
Middle East
Concerns of nuclear weapons in Iran
Growing hostility from groups
Palestinian-Israel war
support for the independent state of Palestine
security for Israel
Europe
Ukraine & Russia
Africa
poor infrastructure
education
transportation
health care
economic aid
In COVID-19, Somali showed poorer countries get vaccinated last
Globalization
sharing of ideals and products around the world
complaint of having to compete with those in foreign countries who would work for less
Outsourcing services is possible
Effects
loss of local culture
spread of diseases
increased pollution
unemployment