Changes

When President Nixon arrived at the White House after the 1968 elections, he embraced “Vietnamization” as a policy for slowly withdrawing American troops from South Vietnam, hoping that the South Vietnamese would do more themselves in fighting communism.  Nixon also increased bombing of North Vietnam and Vietcong strongholds in Cambodia and Laos.

When President Nixon arrived at the White House after the 1968 elections, he embraced “Vietnamization” as a policy for slowly withdrawing American troops from South Vietnam, hoping that the South Vietnamese would do more themselves in fighting communism.  Nixon also increased bombing of North Vietnam and Vietcong strongholds in Cambodia and Laos.

Nixon was heavily influenced by his advisor Henry Kissinger.  Kissinger’s approach towards Vietnam was to launch bombing attacks and then look like a hero in declaring cease-fires.  He did this repeatedly and received much praise by newspapers for it.  But the communists would simply re-supply their guerilla fighters during the cease-fires, and so the cease-fires actually helped the communists continue the war.  By 1973, the United States gave up and pulled the last American soldiers out.  A million Vietnamese then fled South Vietnam to escape the communists, who took over by 1975.  The United States imposed a trade embargo on the newly unified Vietnam that lasted until 1994.  President Bush visited Vietnam in 2006.

Nixon was heavily influenced by his advisor Henry Kissinger, a Machiavellian figure skilled at manipulating those around him.  Kissinger’s approach towards Vietnam was to launch bombing attacks and then look like a hero in declaring cease-fires.  He did this repeatedly and received much praise by newspapers for it.  But the communists would simply re-supply their guerilla fighters during the cease-fires, and so the cease-fires actually helped the communists continue the war.  By 1973, the United States gave up and pulled the last American soldiers out.  A million Vietnamese then fled South Vietnam to escape the communists, who took over by 1975.  The United States imposed a trade embargo on the newly unified Vietnam that lasted until 1994.  President Bush visited Vietnam in 2006.

Things worsened further in next-door Cambodia after the Americans left Vietnam.  Pol Pot took over Cambodia in 1975, and he abolished private property, money and religion and converted everything back to an agricultural society.  He emptied the cities.  His ruthless policies supposedly resulted in the death of 1-2 million Cambodians in the late 1970s.  The Hollywood movie about his dictatorship, The Killing Fields, exposed his atrocities and perhaps exaggerated them as a way of blaming the United States, which once supported him to counter Vietnam.  Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge government fell in 1979 when Vietnam invaded Cambodia after a series of violent border confrontations, and Pol Pot fled to the northern jungle with his forces.  He died from illness in 1998.  Today there are United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cambodia.

Things worsened further in next-door Cambodia after the Americans left Vietnam.  Pol Pot took over Cambodia in 1975, and he abolished private property, money and religion and converted everything back to an agricultural society.  He emptied the cities.  His ruthless policies supposedly resulted in the death of 1-2 million Cambodians in the late 1970s.  The Hollywood movie about his dictatorship, The Killing Fields, exposed his atrocities and perhaps exaggerated them as a way of blaming the United States, which once supported him to counter Vietnam.  Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge government fell in 1979 when Vietnam invaded Cambodia after a series of violent border confrontations, and Pol Pot fled to the northern jungle with his forces.  He died from illness in 1998.  Today there are United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cambodia.

Nehru ruled India for nearly two decades, and his daughter Indira Gandhi became prime minister upon his death.  Her rule saw an increase in agricultural production known as the “green revolution,” but she attempted to limit population growth with strict birth control.  She also suspended parts of the democratic process.  The people responded by defeating her in 1977, and she left office.  In 1980 she regained power, but violence was breaking out with Sikhs who wanted an independent state.  She ordered an attack on a Sikh temple, and two of her bodyguards retaliated by assassinating her in June 1984.  The news reached America in the middle of the night, but President Reagan’s advisors chose not awaken him to tell him.  Critics ridiculed allowing President Reagan to sleep through this news, and one liberal wrote a book about his Administration entitled, “While Reagan Slept.”

Nehru ruled India for nearly two decades, and his daughter Indira Gandhi became prime minister upon his death.  Her rule saw an increase in agricultural production known as the “green revolution,” but she attempted to limit population growth with strict birth control.  She also suspended parts of the democratic process.  The people responded by defeating her in 1977, and she left office.  In 1980 she regained power, but violence was breaking out with Sikhs who wanted an independent state.  She ordered an attack on a Sikh temple, and two of her bodyguards retaliated by assassinating her in June 1984.  The news reached America in the middle of the night, but President Reagan’s advisors chose not awaken him to tell him.  Critics ridiculed allowing President Reagan to sleep through this news, and one liberal wrote a book about his Administration entitled, “While Reagan Slept.”

Rajiv Gandhi succeeded his mother.  He lost power in 1989 based on accusations of corruption.  A group of Tamil terrorists from Sri Lanka killed him with a bomb in 1991.  Sri Lanka is the pear-shaped island off of the southern coast of India, which obtained its independence in 1948.  Sri Lanka has a Buddhist majority, and the Tamils are in a Hindu minority and have been fighting for their own independence.  Rajiv Gandhi had sent troops into Sri Lanka under a 1983 agreement to disarm the rebellious Hindus, which was unsuccessful.

Rajiv Gandhi succeeded his mother.  He lost power in 1989 based on accusations of corruption.  A group of Tamil terrorists from Sri Lanka killed him with a bomb in 1991.  Sri Lanka is the pear-shaped island off of the southern coast of India, which obtained its independence in the 1970s.  Sri Lanka has a Buddhist majority, and the Tamils are in a Hindu minority and have been fighting for their own independence.  Rajiv Gandhi had sent troops into Sri Lanka under a 1983 agreement to disarm the rebellious Hindus, which was unsuccessful.

In the early 1970s, the eastern section of Pakistan ceased to exist.  Though they shared the same religion of Islam, the eastern and western parts of Pakistan had different ethnicities and languages and were separated by over a thousand miles.  In 1971, Indian-backed forces overthrew the government of East Pakistan and established the new country of Bangladesh.   

In the early 1970s, the eastern section of Pakistan ceased to exist.  Though they shared the same religion of Islam, the eastern and western parts of Pakistan had different ethnicities and languages and were separated by over a thousand miles.  In 1971, Indian-backed forces overthrew the government of East Pakistan and established the new country of Bangladesh.