2026 Chapter 16 foreign and defense policy sabato

Foreign Policy

Area of policy making that encompasses how one country builds relationships with other countries in order to safeguard its national interest.

Defense Policy

area of policy making that focuses on the strategies that a country uses to protect itself from its enemies

isolationism

The U.S. policy of avoiding entangling alliances with foreign powers.

Farewell Address

When President George Washington left office, he wrote a letter, addressed to the People of the United States, warning people of the dangers to avoid in order to preserve the republic.

Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe's 1823 pledge that the United States would oppose attempts by European states to reestablish their political control in the Western Hemisphere.

manifest destiny

Theory that the United States was divinely supported to expand across North America to the Pacific Ocean.

Roosevelt Corollary

Concept developed by President Theodore Roosevelt early in the twentieth century declaring that it was the responsibility of the United States to ensure stability in Latin America and the Caribbean.

World War I

A global military conflict that took place from 1914-1918 across Europe and its overseas territories. The United States militarily intervened from 1917-1918.

League of Nations

A multilateral diplomatic organization that existed from 1920-1946 that sought, unsuccessfully, to prevent future wars; the United States never joined.

collective security

the idea that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries

World War II

A global military conflict that took place from 1939-1945 in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region. The United States was formally involved in the war from 1941-1945.

United Nations (UN)

a multilateral diplomatic organization founded in 1945 and continuing today that is intended to promote peaceful resolution of international disputes and advance human development worldwide; the United States is a founding member

UN Security Council

a principal part of the United Nations, charged with authorizing peacekeeping operations, international sanctions, and military action to maintain global peace and security

Iron Curtain

a term used during the Cold War to describe the divide between the capitalist West and Communist East

Bretton Woods System

international financial system devised shortly before the end of World War II that created the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

International governmental organization designed to stabilize international currency transactions

World Bank

International governmental organization created to provide loans for large economic development projects

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

Post-World War II economic development treaty designed to help facilitate international trade negotiations and promote free trade.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

An international organization that replaced the GATT in 1995 to supervise and expand international trade.

Cold War

the period of superpower rivalry and confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasting from the end of World War II to 1991

containment

U.S. policy of opposing Soviet expansion and Communist revolutions around the world with military forces, economic assistance, and political influence

deterrence

The military strategy of employing enormous force, including nuclear weapons, in order to prevent the outbreak or escalation of armed conflicts.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. anti-communist policy initiated in 1947 that became the basis of U.S. foreign policy throughout the Cold War.

Marshall Plan

European collective recovery program, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, that provided extensive American aid to Western Europe after World War II.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The first peacetime military treaty joined by the United States; NATO is a collective security pact that includes the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.

Berlin Wall

A barrier built by East Germany in 1961 to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the democratic West from Communist East Berlin

Cuban Missile Crisis

The 1962 confrontation over the deployment of ballistic missiles in Cuba that nearly escalated into nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Korean War

a civil war from 1950 to 1953 in which the United States supported South Korea against Communist forces in North Korea

Vietnam War

a civil war in which the United States supported South Vietnam against Communist forces in North Vietnam, which escalated through the 1960s before ending in 1975

detente

The improvement in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred during the 1970s.

human rights

The protection of people's basic freedoms and needs.

Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan administration's commitment to ending communism by providing military assistance to anti-communist groups

Gulf War

A military conflict from 1990-1991 in which a U.S.-led international coalition reversed the occupation of Kuwait by the armed forces of Iraq.

al-Qaeda

The Islamic terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and numerous other actions against U.S. overseas interests.

September 11th

A terrorist plot carried out on September 11, 2001, that used hijacked civilian aircraft to attack the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.

global war on terror

An international action, initiated by President George W. Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to weed out terrorist operatives throughout the world.

Afghanistan War

A military conflict begun in 2002 in which a U.S.-led international coalition invaded Afghanistan in order to depose the government and deny a safe haven to terrorists.

Iraq War

A military conflict from 2003-2011 in which a U.S.-led international coalition invaded Iraq and deposed its regime but proved unable to establish a stable new government.

ISIS

A terrorist organization that calls itself an Islamic State, controls parts of Syria and Iraq and uses that as a base to direct and inspire terrorist attacks abroad.

National Security Council

the agency in the White House, led by the national security adviser, that brings together key foreign policy actors to advise the president

Department of State

Chief executive-branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy.

Department of Defense

Principal executive branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of U.S. defense and military policy.

Joint Chiefs of Staff

Military advisory body that includes the Army chief of staff, the Air Force chief of staff, the chief of naval operations, the Marine commandant, and the chief of Space Operations

Department of Homeland Security

Cabinet department created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

A U.S. government agency dedicated to intelligence gathering and covert operations.

military-industrial complex

The network of political and financial relations formed by defense industries, the U.S. armed forces, and Congress.

foreign-policy realism

A perspective contending that the behavior of countries in the international arena is mainly intended to protect their economic and security interests

foreign-policy idealism

A perspective contending that the behavior of countries in the international arena is mainly intended to advance their values and principles

protectionism

A trade policy wherein a country takes steps to limit the import of foreign goods through tariffs and subsidies to domestic firms.

strategic trade policy

A trade policy wherein governments identify key industries that they wish to see grow and enact policies to support their development and success.

free trade system

A system of international trade that limits government interference on the sale of goods and services among countries.

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

A 2019 free trade agreement that promotes movement of goods and services among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a successor to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

European Union

an organization with political institutions that join twenty-seven countries in Europe into a union that promotes free trade, a central bank, flow of labor and capital, and a common currency among most members