-Henry Kissinger (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs)

In John T. Rourke's International Politics on the World Stage, a distinction is made between two kinds of power, coercive and persuasive. Coercive power is the power to make another country do something through military force and economic sanctions while persuasive power uses moral authority and technological excellence, which enhance a country's image of leadership. Rourke argues that the latter is growing in importance while the former is declining because it is more costly and less effective. The United States is the premier power in the world and with that power comes the obligation to use that power responsibly, and hence, know when it is better to use coercive power and when persuasive power is needed. When the Americans extended the Vietnamese war into the borders of Cambodia, this was a prime example of coercive power. The use of an extensive B-52 campaign without the full knowledge of important Cambodian and American o

Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger had many great achievements during their tenure, but Cambodia stands as a failure. Though it would be impossible to say that they are at fault for all the terror that Cambodia was to face, they still remain partly responsible. With their bombings of the countryside and their invasion of Cambodia, they managed to create more dismay than they were trying to avert. The coercive manner in which they did this did not help at all, though it only managed to hinder their chances for success. When Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia, he stated that his action was taken "not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia, but for the purpose of ending the war in Vietnam." If this was so, then why not contact congress when he wanted to bomb? Nobody could have predicted what was to happen to Cambodia as a result of the violation of its neutrality, and we cannot fault Nixon and Kissinger totally. But there are laws in place, which restrict the power of the President because, sometimes, two heads are better than one and the decision-making process should not rest on the head of only one, or a couple of men, but to a large group that are paid to make these sorts of decisions, who, more often than not, make better decisions than the individual. The reason why coercive power is declining to make room for persuasive power is not only because it is more costly, but because it is a better decision. Nixon and Kissinger lacked morality when making their decisions and were thinking very selfishly, not taking into account what consequences their actions would have. In 1967, Lyndon Johnson refused to bomb Cambodia because of domestic protest and damage to Cambodia's neutrality. He weighed the options and decided it would not be a good idea. Nixon did not weigh the options and the effect was disastrous.

Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger had many great achievements during their tenure, but Cambodia stands as a failure. Though it would be impossible to say that they are at fault for all the terror that Cambodia was to face, they still remain partly responsible. With their bombings of the countryside and their invasion of Cambodia, they managed to create more dismay than they were trying to avert. The coercive manner in which they did this did not help at all, though it only managed to hinder their chances for success. When Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia, he stated that his action was taken "not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia, but for the purpose of ending the war in Vietnam." If this was so, then why not contact congress when he wanted to bomb? Nobody could have predicted what was to happen to Cambodia as a result of the violation of its neutrality, and we cannot fault Nixon and Kissinger totally. But there are laws in place, which restrict the power of the President because, sometimes, two heads are better than one and the decision-making process should not rest on the head of only one, or a couple of men, but to a large group that are paid to make these sorts of decisions, who, more often than not, make better decisions than the individual. The reason why coercive power is declining to make room for persuasive power is not only because it is more costly, but because it is a better decision. Nixon and Kissinger lacked morality when making their decisions and were thinking very selfishly, not taking into account what consequences their actions would have. In 1967, Lyndon Johnson refused to bomb Cambodia because of domestic protest and damage to Cambodia's neutrality. He weighed the options and decided it would not be a good idea. Nixon did not weigh the options and the effect was disastrous.

Prince Norodom Sihanouk, leader of Cambodia until 1970, could only sit and watch as his country was being bombed as the result of a war that he was not even supposed to be part of in the first place. Prince Sihanouk had no control over what was happening to

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Approximate Word count = 3249
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)