This paper shall attempt to shed light on the purpose of the Nixon Doctrine and how it saw its initial application. In order to do so effectively, special attention shall be given to the reasons because of which President Richard Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger put the Nixon Doctrine in place to begin with. The paper will explore subsequent applications of the Nixon Doctrine by briefly but comprehensively elaborating on the application of the Nixon Doctrine in the Middle East Crisis during the 1970s and in light of the increase in military assistance to Israel following the Middle East Crisis.

The Nixon Doctrine was President Richard Nixon’s attempt to develop a clear and broadly comprehensive policy on America’s position with regard to engagement in war for the sake its allies . The Nixon Doctrine incorporated a set of policies that were meant to prevent America from falling into deadlocks with enemies of friends while trying to assist its allies. It was instituted as a byproduct of the Vietnam War in order to prevent future engagement in such wars. The government was under constantly increasing pressure from the public to bring an end to the suffering that the Vietnam War was causing. It allowed the US to ensure a reason for its interests to remain intact in regions where its military could not be physically present. The essence of the Nixon Doctrine was to provide its allies with military assistance and to allow the ally to function as a surrogate for the US.