Midterm Exam Part 1

5 myths of american exceptionalism

1. there is something exceptional about American Exceptionalism

2. Us behaves better than other nations do

3. America’s success is due to it special genius

4. US is responsible for most good in the world

5. god is on our side

Walt

American Exceptionalism

McCormick

The World System, Hegemony, and Decline

• US power is not exceptional, but one page in recurring historical processing of hegemonic rise and fall

3 concepts from McCormick

1. the world system

2. economic autarky

3. hegemony

world system

global network of economic relationships that emerged with capitalism and it divides the world into zones that play different roles in production and trade; has 3 constants

3 constants of the world system

1. zones

2. geographical boundaries

3. a center

zones in world system

1. periphery

2. semi periphery

3. core

economic autarky

opposite of free trade and free market; tariffs and protectionism

hegemony

seek to set up, maage, capitalist system; open door policies, free trade agreements, low tariffs

McCormick’s framework

world system/ econ

Hixon

Culture, national identity, and myth of America

• American identity and militarized foreign policy are deeply intertwined and self enforcing

Hixons framework

national identity/ culture

myth of america

protrays the US as divinely chosen, morally superior, and destined to lead the world through strength and virtue, responsible for spreading freedom and progress

cultural construction of foreign policy

foreign policy is built out of cultural beliefs and identities; how americans imagine themselves as a strong nation shapes how it acts in the world

how do wars reinforce and construct american identity

unifies the nation, strengthens patriotism, and reaffirms the myth of America

leffler

national security, core values, and power

• study of national security (US Policy in general) must focus on how perceptions of danger are linked to the protection of the nation’s core values and identity

leffler framework

core values and interests/ security framework

national security approach

examines how US foreign policy is shaped by interaction between external threats and internal core values; connects international environment with domestic ideas, identities, and interest

What does Leffler argue about the national security approach

that it bridges the gaps between realist historians and revisionists/ideological scholars (emphasizes domestic forces and values)

core values

broad and ideological; defense of anions political institutions, territorial integrity, liberal capitalist ideologies that describe american way of life

vital interests

tangible material thinks like territory or economic resources

McEnaney

Gender Analysis and Foreign Relations

• applying gender analysis to the study of american foreign policy is an attempt to see things differently, or to see new things entirely and gender adds to the historian’s tool box

McEnaney Framework

gender

gender

socially constructed ideas about masculinity and femininity that defines roles, power, behavior

what can gender reveal

• cultural values and assumptions that shape policy makers world views

• normative ideas about manhood (strength toughness) can influence how male policy makers interpret threats and define international interests

Krenn

The adaptive power of racism

• Racism has not disappeared, just changed forms to fit new historical moments and political goals

Krenn’s framework

racism

how has racism been adapted

• manifest destiny

• social darwinism

• modernization theory

Clifford

bureaucratic politics and policy outcomes

• foreign policy emerges from complex competition, compromise, and conflict among multiple bureaucracies, not purely top-down presidential decisions

Clifford framework

bureacracy

3 important insights of bureacracy

1. where you stand is where you sit

2. standard operating procedures (SOPs)

3. misperceptions of foreign states are frequent

critiques of bureaucratic politics

• where you stand is where you sit—> the president can dominate and national security managers do matter

• lets decisionmakers off the hook

when is the bureaucratic model useful?

1. military occupations

2. political transitions

3. budget battles, weapons procurement, coordination of intelligence, war termination, alliance politics