| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 臺灣與亞太研究全英語碩士學位學程 === 106 === In the late 1960s the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China found themselves confronting a common adversary in the shape of the Soviet Union. Both nations were also experiencing severely debilitating crises which substantially weakened their capacity to deal with their perceived mutual enemy.
It was in these circumstances that the capitalist United States (U.S.) and the communist People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) launched a policy of rapprochement, symbolised by the historic visit of U.S. president Richard Nixon to China (the P.R.C.) in early 1972. It appeared to mark the end of a generation of enmity between the two nations, and was a strategy that shocked the world and had a substantial impact on international relations for years to come.
Both countries had various objectives for the dramatic shift in policy which this event represented. The nature of these goals, and the extent to which they were attained, were, and are, the subject of intense academic debate. The purpose of this study is to conduct a new analysis of the subject, and attempt to identify areas which have been neglected by previous scholars and commentators, such as the failure by the United States and the P.R.C. to prevent the subjugation of the Republic of Vietnam by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
A deeper understanding of the aims which were behind the Sino-American rapprochement, and the degree to which they were achieved, may aid in the analysis of both past and contemporary diplomatic events. An insight might be gained into the hopes and aspirations which influence the actions of statesmen. A more thorough knowledge of the potentialities and limitations of diplomatic manoeuvring could result from a study of such a spectacular attempt to alter the nature of international relations.
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