Final answer:
President Nixon's foreign-policy successes include opening diplomatic relations with China, establishing the Nixon Doctrine to redistribute defense responsibilities among allies, and advancing détente with the Soviet Union through the SALT negotiations.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Richard Nixon's foreign-policy strategy was successful on several fronts. Notably, Nixon's engagement with the People's Republic of China, a move known as "playing the China card," was a significant strategic success. By opening diplomatic relations with China in 1972, Nixon shifted the balance of the Cold War dynamics, fostering competition between China and the Soviet Union, thereby obtaining leverage in international relations. This daring policy shift both isolated North Vietnam and paved the way for a peaceful resolution, allowing for the extraction of U.S. troops from the war in Vietnam.
Another remarkable achievement was the initiation of the Nixon Doctrine, which shifted the burden of defense to allies, particularly calling on countries like Japan to assume greater self-defense responsibilities. This policy marked a strategic pivot from robust direct engagement to a more sustainable approach of supporting allies without extensive American military intervention.
Despite facing domestic and global challenges, such as economic troubles and the Vietnam War, Nixon used diplomacy effectively by simultaneously negotiating with the Soviet Union. This led to progress in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), resulting in arms reduction and setting the foundation for détente, a relaxation of tensions, between the two rival superpowers.