Nixon Doctrine

President Richard Nixon speaking with Israeli prime minister Golda Meir and U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger on November 1, 1973 The Nixon Doctrine (sometimes referred to as the Guam Doctrine) was the foreign policy doctrine of Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974. It was put forth by Nixon on July 25, 1969, during a press conference in Guam, and formalized in his speech on Vietnamization on November 3, 1969.

According to Gregg Brazinsky, author of "Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy", Nixon stated that "the United States would assist in the defense and developments of allies and friends" but would not "undertake all the defense of the free nations of the world." This doctrine meant that each ally nation was in charge of its own security in general, but the U.S. would act as a nuclear umbrella when requested. The doctrine argued for the pursuit of peace through a partnership with American allies.