Chapter 16

This chapter dealt with the role of foreign policy and the United States’ position and interests in the international political-economic system. First, it examined the relative weakness of the American colonies as they were pawns in the great imperial struggles of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially between Britain and France.

Second, this chapter discussed the development of U.S. foreign policy from the articulation of the Monroe Doctrine through the World Wars and the Cold War. After a retreat from empire and intervention following World War I, the United States became the unmatched political and economic power in the wake of the end of World War II. It led in the creation of a series of political and economic alliances like NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now called the World Trade Organization or WTO) in order to secure itself (the Realist view) and promoted democratic-capitalism (the Idealist view) around the world in its containment driven struggle with the USSR during the cold war.

After the Soviet Empire retreated from its hegemonic challenge, a multi-polar economic world had arrived due to Americans’ relative decline after the successful recovery of the Great Powers. This was due to American-led reconstruction efforts in the wake of World War II. New security threats like terrorism have arisen, in particular since 9/11, and America’s unmatched hard power has had to be moderated with its soft power in order to face the constraints and embrace the opportunities of a New World Order. Additionally, the strains of American hegemony have been showing due to global economic competition leading to trade deficits as well as the security dilemmas corresponding to military commitments in the earlier wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This includes challenge of ending the war between Russia and Ukraine and rebuilding Gaza.

Finally, the twin problems of global overpopulation with its attendant economic disparities as well as the depletion of global energy reserves have complicated an already tense global environment. And, the unrestrained employment of industrialization’s usage of fossil fuels’ ongoing impact on global warming will continue to test American global leadership for decades to come. How the United States will respond to these challenges is open to question as prescriptive theories from Realists, Idealists and Neo-Conservatives debate passionately the question, “Whither America in international relations?”

Quizzes

Critical Thinking Exercises

Foreign Policy

By this point in your study of politics, you’ve become keenly aware of the importance of perspective in politics. Foreign policy is no different. While a policy maker’s intentions may be one thing, the perception of those intentions by others may be completely different. When you add cultural differences and the dynamics of competing national interests into the mix, perception seems to take on a heightened importance.

Visit your favorite American media source (e.g. Fox, CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, etc.). Select several articles about American foreign policy actions and then some of these visit foreign news sources:

to find articles about these same issues. Consider the differences of perspectives between what Americans learn about their foreign policy and what people from other countries learn about these same policies through their media. How might the differences you’ve found contribute to conflict or cooperation between the United States and other nations?

Useful Links

Links to further content exploring the themes covered in this chapter

Department of Defense Websites

This site offers a comprehensive list of links to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) various component agencies, including all of the armed forces.

DoD News

DoD news; however, it is explicitly supportive of the military establishment.

Office of U.S. Trade Representative

Official website for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative contains contact information, mission statement, links to trade analyses and projection reports, etc.

USTR Student Internship Program

This site contains specific information about the U.S.T.R.’s student internship program.

U.S. State Department

This is the official website for the U.S. State Department containing its mission statement for diplomacy as well as internship opportunities, job recruitment, etc. This site also has video resources detailing diplomatic policy announcements by the Secretary of State and other high State Department officials.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

This is the home website for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which is charged with domestic security.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A unit of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE enforces more than 400 federal statutes, and focuses on preventing terrorism and combating the illegal movement of people and trade.

Council on Foreign Relations

This is the website for the Council on Foreign Relations, which provides non-partisan analysis of international affairs.

CIA

This is the official website of the Central Intelligence Agency. Access this site before traveling to another country! The CIA provides valuable information concerning other countries’ laws, customs, and provides travel warnings that are useful to those individuals traveling internationally.

The Revolution and the Constitution