A
diplomatic doctrine is a general statements of foreign policy. In some cases, the statement is made by
a political leader, typically a nation's chief executive or chief diplomat, and comes to be named after that leader.
Richard Nixon's justification for the phased withdrawal of the
United States from
Vietnam, for example, came to be called the
Nixon Doctrine. This pattern of naming is not universal, however; Chinese diplomatic doctrines, for example, are often referred to by number.
The purpose of a diplomatic doctrine is to provide general rules for the conduct of foreign policy. These rules allow the political leadership of a nation to deal with a situation and to explain the actions of a nation to other nations. "Doctrine" is usually not meant to have any negative connotations; it is especially not to be confused with "dogma".
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