Richard Nixon’s five year reign in power as the president of the United States continues to raise all manner of responses from all walks of life. A brilliantly gifted and equally heavily flawed Nixon was a political giant credited with being in the era that redefined the American political scene in terms of American democracy. The presidency of Nixon elicits mixed reactions and arguments. His success and achievements seem to vary with every other individual that is asked. Various people hold a myriad of arguments regarding his achievements; the field of domestic and foreign policy seems to be of greatest concern. Nixon's achievements as president are in majorly, in the realm of foreign policy as compared to national policy; from the opening in china, to the arms treaty in the Soviet Union, the meticulous work in the Middle East, Vietnam and Latin America (Tindall and David 856). His involvement in domestic policy, however, presents a rather eschewed image. Henry Kissinger played a major role during the reign of President Nixon in both domestic and foreign policy formulation. Several schools of thought about Nixon contributions to policy formulations exist. Some claim that his domestic policies were more important, and others claim his foreign policies were far more important.
Nixon established an enlightened array of international and domestic policy in a number of areas. Some of his policies continue to impact even in the present generation. He pushed for reforms in health care, welfare and civil rights. In the energy and environment field he formulated policies that have had a significant influence even today. His driving force was based on the fact that policies had to be based on national standards and not the various demands and claims from the fifty states in the United States. He came up with an office of management and budget and that of energy that would deal with oil policies and also the environment. He created an environmental protection agency, perhaps the most significant and important policy that continues to recon even today. The Nixon government expanded enforcement of affirmative action. He used the "peace dividend" from reducing troops in Vietnam so as to be able to finance social welfare services with the United States. He is credited with enforcing civil rights through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, another one of his domestic policies. The most notable achievements by Nixon’s government are in regards to domestic policies. The success, agendas and achievements are in regards to the environment, civil rights and the far-sighted Family Assistance Plan. These are just but examples of some of the domestic policies that have earned him both negative and positive responses.
Some of the foreign policies by Nixon include his innovative attempts to diplomatically engage both the Soviet Union so as to attain modest arms control through the anti-ballistic-missile agreement with the Russian government or the then soviet union. He also got involved in talks the People’s Republic of China to end the ensuing conflict. Although the achievements of President Nixon in domestic policy are viewed as negligible in some quarters, he is still remembered for some significant domestic policies that are considered a milestone in his legacy (Tindall and David 856). However, to assert that his domestic policies were far more important than the foreign policies or vice-versa does not make sense. The impacts of his policies are felt in equal measure even though some of them were of greater significance to the United States.
Work cited
Tindall, George B, and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History. New York: W.W.
Norton & Co, 2013. Print.
