Three of Chapman’s history majors, Mark Johnston, Matthew McCluggage and Kirsten Moore, were chosen to read their papers that responded to the question: “How would Nixon interpret what is happening today?”

Johnston’s paper, “The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty: A Case Study on the Politics of Nuclear Non-Proliferation,” compared Nixon’s struggle with disarming Russia to the current issue that President Obama is facing with disarming Iran.   Johnston said, “The panel provided a phenomenal experience in connecting the past with critical current events.  It demonstrated the importance of analyzing history and applying it to modern political issues.”

In her paper, “China, Economics, and North Korea: Pragmatism in Asia,” Moore discussed U.S. relations with China during Nixon’s presidency and the dynamic relationship between the U.S., North Korea and China today. 

During the final reading, McCluggage read “The Implementation of Nixon’s ‘Vietnamization’ in Afghanistan,” which compared Nixon’s inheritance of the Vietnam War with Obama taking office while the U.S. is at war in Afghanistan. 

After each paper a panel of scholars responded with their input regarding the students’ research.  The panel of four included our very own Dr. James Coyle as the moderator and three Nixon scholars: Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs at The Nixon Center;  Paul Saunders, Executive Director of The Nixon Center; Drew Thompson, Director of China Studies and Starr Senior Fellow at The Nixon Center.