Quiz 2US Foreign Policy: Foreign policy institutions

National Security Strategy (NSS)

The design and application of ideas for employing means as well as the orchestration of institutions and instruments of national power (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) to achieve viable ends that protect or advance national interests. Required by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1987 to be submitted by the President to Congress, it guides and shapes subsidiary strategies and policies.

Strategic Logic

The logic needed to develop and orchestrate national security strategy, involving five elements: analyzing the strategic situation, defining the desired ends, identifying or developing the means, designing the ways to use the means to achieve the ends, and assessing the costs and risks.

Strategic Situation

The challenge and its context. It includes conditions and dynamics affecting security globally or in relation to a specific challenge. Components include problem parameters, national interests, threats, constraints, and critical assumptions.

Ends

The ultimate outcomes the strategist intends to achieve with the strategy, encompassing political aims and their subordinate objectives.

Political Aim(s)

The overarching endstate the strategist believes will preserve or advance national interests. Defined with nouns and adjectives (e.g., “a stable, secure Iraq”) and must reduce threats or exploit opportunities.

Specific Objectives (Subordinate Objectives)

The objectives that must be completed to achieve the political aim. Defined with verbs and adverbs (e.g., “Deter Russian aggression”), characterized by precision and brevity.

Means

The capabilities and resources used to pursue a political aim. Includes elements of power, institutions/actors, and instruments of power. Can be available or need to be developed.

Elements of Power

Foundational resources from which power is built and sustained. Includes natural resources, geography, human capital, economy, technology, governance, culture, national will, and reputation. They are finite and interdependent.

Institutions and Actors

The organizations and individuals that wield instruments of power on behalf of the state. Examples include government agencies, IGOs, NGOs, civil society, and empowered individuals.

Instruments of Power (DIME)

The four main tools for projecting power: Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic. Each has unique capabilities and limits.

Diplomatic Instrument

The use of official engagement to advance national interests through representation, negotiation, and treaty-making. Led by the Department of State.

Informational Instrument

The use of information to shape perceptions and outcomes. Includes intelligence, cyber operations, propaganda, and strategic communication.

Military Instrument

The application or threat of force. Captures the concepts of force, threat of force, and force enabling. Not the same as the Armed Forces as an institution.

Economic Instrument

The use of economic tools like aid, trade, and finance to achieve strategic ends.

Ways

The methods used to apply means to achieve ends. Involves selecting approaches, matching instruments with actors, and orchestrating them into a coherent strategy.

Fundamental Strategic Approaches

A spectrum of strategic approaches ranging from observe to eradicate. Reflects varying degrees of activity and force.

Modes of Action

Strategic choices such as direct/indirect, unilateral/multilateral, proactive/reactive, overt/covert. Multiple modes may be used simultaneously.

Orchestration

Coordinating and integrating instruments of power in a logical plan to accomplish political aims. Involves sequencing, prioritizing, and managing actions.

Assessment (Costs/Risks/Results)

The evaluation of a strategy’s costs, risks, and results. Costs include resources and opportunity costs

Viability Assessments ("_ility" tests)

Continuous testing of strategy using suitability, feasibility, desirability, acceptability, and sustainability. A "no" to any test may warrant a new strategy.

Assumptions

Unproven but necessary beliefs used to fill knowledge gaps in strategy. Must be identified and evaluated as they carry significant risk if incorrect.

Problem Statement

A precise summary of why a threat or opportunity requires strategic attention. Should link the issue to a national interest and explain its impact.

Constraints

Factors limiting strategic freedom of action, including time, insufficient means, legal boundaries, and partner interests.

National Interests

Fundamental needs that guide state action. Categorized as security, prosperity, and principles. They serve as enduring guideposts, not specific goals.

Threats to National Interest(s)

Conditions that endanger national interests. Assessed using the formula: Threat = Capability × Will × Vulnerability.

Opportunities

Situations that allow advancement of national interests. Often shape cooperative or trade-based strategies.

Red-Teaming

A method for testing strategy by analyzing it from an adversary’s perspective. Helps identify flaws in assumptions and sharpen strategic logic.

Department of State (DOS)

The primary U.S. diplomatic institution. Manages alliances, treaties, and international representation. Must adapt to modern global issues.

National Security Council (NSC)

Created in 1947 to integrate U.S. foreign and defense policy. Includes the President, Vice President, Secretaries of State and Defense, and coordinates policy-making and implementation.

NSC Staff

A White House-based staff that supports the NSC and advises the President. Led by the National Security Adviser.

Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Adviser)

Leads the NSC staff and oversees the national security policymaking process. A key foreign policy player since the Kennedy administration.

Thucydides Trap

The idea that war is likely when a rising power threatens a ruling power, based on Thucydides' history of Athens and Sparta. Modern use focuses on U.S.-China relations.

Divide and Rule

A strategy cited by Vladimir Putin involving the manipulation of divisions among people to maintain control, applied to the Russia-Ukraine context.

"Know the enemy and know yourself"

A principle from Sun Tzu emphasizing the importance of understanding both one’s own position and that of adversaries. Ignoring this can lead to failure.

Realism

A theory in international relations emphasizing power, national interest, and the anarchic nature of the international system. Associated with Thucydides and seen in U.S. responses to events like Tiananmen Square.

Imperial Presidency

The idea that the U.S. presidency has expanded its power—especially in foreign policy—often reducing Congressional oversight.