7. Nixon and World Relations
A good public image is worth nothing if you don't have the credibility to back it up, just ask anyone. What President Nixon may have lacked in public image, he most certainly made up for with experience in Foreign Relations. With the help of his National Security Advisor/Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, Nixon embarked on what was coined at the time as "Shuttle Diplomacy". This new style of negotiation entailed Kissinger being a go-between for Nixon and other nations of the world to settle their differences without meeting in person. This style of diplomacy was used in negotiations with China, the Soviet Union, and the Middle East during the Nixon presidency, and it yielded results that laid the foundation for building better relations between America and the nations of the world. Chiefly among his achievements in international diplomacy, as well as upholding domestic tranquility, was his eventual withdrawal of American forces in the Vietnam War. While he kept up with the methodology and the positions of administrations before him, by time 1970 rolled around the "Credibility Gap" between his promises and his actions was getting wider by the day. By 1973, America was withdrawing from Vietnam and the nation could begin to heal thanks to the Paris Peace Accords. These peace accords would allow for a temporary suspension of North and South Vietnam's fighting, so that America could withdraw its troops safely within 60 days time.