The Nixon Doctrine and U.S. Policy on Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia after the Second World War

In July 1969, six months after becoming U.S. president, Richard Nixon announced in a statement on the island of Guam that the United States expected Asian countries to assume greater responsibility for their own defense. The statement, which quickly became known as the Guam Doctrine or Nixon Doctrine, was superficially nothing new. Every U.S. president since Dwight Eisenhower had urged Asian countries to do more to help themselves so that U.S. soldiers did not have to continue to fight in wars in that region. However, the earlier statements had occurred before the United States became so heavily involved in Vietnam. In effect, Nixon in his Guam speech was saying that direct U.S. involvement on this scale would never be repeated. In addition, he also stressed the importance of making progress toward regional cooperation and Asian collective security, indicating that Asian countries themselves should take the initiative in this direction. His emphasis on regional security cooperation received scant attention because of the Vietnam War and the emerging policy of East-West détente. This article traces the evolution of U.S. policy on regional security cooperation in Southeast Asia and its importance to long-term planning for the region.