US-Yugoslav Relations under Kissinger
US-Yugoslav Relations under Kissinger

Summary/Abstract: The relationship between the U.S. and Yugoslavia is traditionally interpreted as having been at its pinnacle during the years of President John F. Kennedy and his successor Lyndon B. Johnson. However, on a substantial level, Kennedy, Johnson and their Administrations did not excel at maintaining relations with the Yugoslav leadership despite recommendations from the State Department that saw the relationship as an important geopolitical element. In contrast, the Nixon and Ford Administrations with Henry A. Kissinger as their chief foreign policy strategist, are usually interpreted as having reduced interest for ties with Yugoslavia. However, the Nixon-Ford Administrations made substantial efforts to maintain relations at a constant, following the State Department line emphasizing the relationship with Yugoslavia. Their efforts with Yugoslavia should also be viewed in light of their other geopolitical goals, such as the rapprochement with China and the détente with USSR. Furthermore, despite Yugoslavia’s repeated “balancing acts” of anti-American rhetoric and even action (the Cypriot assassination plot, Yom Kipur War, etc.), there were notable improvements such as Nixon’s visit to Yugoslavia, the first U.S. President to do so. The constancy was due to Nixon-Ford Administrations’ adherence to policy set by Helmut Sonnenfeldt and Art Hartman – under Kissinger’s tenure.

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