History of United States Foreign Policy

National Security Council

helps the President with foreign policy decisions

Secretary of State

handles all diplomacy issues

Secretary of Defense

runs the Pentagon

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

main military advisor

CIA Director

foreign intelligence gathering

National Security Advisor

briefs the President, watches the threat board

Washington Doctrine

stay out of European alliances

Embargo Act of 1809

dealt with English impressment of sailors

War of 1812

US becomes world military & economic power

Monroe Doctrine

US tells Europe the Western Hemisphere is closed to colonization

Manifest Destiny

belief US should exist from the Atlantic to Pacific

Imperialism

US acquires territories like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines

Roosevelt Corollary

US strengthens stability in Latin America

Fourteen Points

Wilson's plan for peace after World War I

Isolationism

US policy of avoiding involvement in foreign affairs

Lend-Lease Act

US provides supplies to the British during World War II

United Nations

formed after WWII to keep the peace

Truman Doctrine

military and financial aid to countries fighting communism

Marshall Plan

aid to rebuild Europe and combat communism

NATO

alliance between the US and Western Europe to combat the USSR

Multilateralism

consulting with allies before taking action

Containment

policy to keep communism from spreading

Brinkmanship

going to the brink of nuclear war to see if the other side will follow

Domino Theory

belief that if one country falls to communism, others will follow

Détente

thawing of relations between the US and USSR

Nixon Doctrine

providing aid but not troops to countries fighting communism

Carter Doctrine

US will protect its interests in the Persian Gulf

Reagan Doctrine

aid to anti-Communist groups fighting pro-Soviet governments

"Peace through Strength"

Reagan's policy of rebuilding the US military

Bush Doctrine

no distinction between terrorist groups and countries that sponsor them, preemptive strikes if necessary

War on Terror

US response to 9/11, involving wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Spanish-American War

conflict that resulted in the US acquiring territories like Puerto Rico and the Philippines

Panama Canal

canal built in Panama under Theodore Roosevelt's presidency

"Great White Fleet"

US Navy fleet that sailed around the world under Roosevelt to demonstrate American power

Versailles Treaty

peace treaty that ended World War I, negotiated in part by Woodrow Wilson

League of Nations

international organization proposed by Wilson to maintain world peace, but not joined by the US

Cuban Missile Crisis

confrontation between the US and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba, resolved through diplomacy

Vietnam War

conflict in which the US supported South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam

Camp David Accords

peace agreement between Israel and Egypt brokered by President Carter

Iran Hostage Crisis

diplomatic standoff in which Iranian students took US embassy staff hostage

Gulf War

US-led coalition that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991

Kosovo

US peacekeeping mission in the Balkans under President Clinton

Somalia

US military intervention in Somalia that ended in the "Black Hawk Down" incident

Dayton Accords

peace agreement for Bosnia negotiated by the Clinton administration

Department of Homeland Security

created after 9/11 to coordinate efforts to prevent terrorist attacks

ISIS

terrorist organization that gained power in Iraq and Syria, leading to US military intervention

Syrian Civil War

conflict in Syria that led to US involvement and airstrikes

North Korea

ongoing diplomatic efforts, including by President Trump, to address North Korea's nuclear program

Border Wall

President Trump's signature policy to build a wall along the US-Mexico border

Travel Ban

Trump administration policy to restrict travel from several predominantly Muslim countries

Panama Canal

Vietnam

Persian Gulf

Germany

Barbary Coast

Iraq

Iran

Japan

China

Cuba

Hawaii

USSR/Russia

Central America

Turkey

Afghanistan