gov312 exam 1 ut austin

State Department

houses all of the diplomats responsible for the day to day interaction with US government and other foreign governments

State Dep, Defense, Bureaucracy, Treasury

foreign policy actors in the executive branch

National Interest

Set of goals possessed by the United States, guide policy; define collective identity of Americans

Foreign Policy

Actions (often statements) undertaken by US federal government directed toward some foreign audience.

Aspects of Foreign Policy

Designed to shape targets beliefs, capabilities, interests and actions.

Targets of Foreign Policy

foreign audiences such as other governments, international organizations, non-state actors (citizens).

Bush National Security Strategy

Essentially, the central elements were counter-terrorism, promoting democracy, and forming alliances. The difference between this national security strategy and previous ones was that this one harped on and on about counter-terrorism, seeing as 9/11 made the US painfully aware of the devastating consequences of terrorism.

Grand strategy

Set of overarching ideas that guide the conduct of foreign policy. Top of pyramid of american policy that shape how US interact with other countries.

Obama West Point Speech

-counterterrorism efforts

-promotion of human dignity

-rebuilding national economy

-greater emphasis on foreign troops

-critiques liberal hegemony and isolationism

Scope, choice of means, use of power

3 main characteristics that define grand strategy

Scope

geographic scope of interest. Global and broad or regional and narrow!

Choice of means

instruments that US will use, tend to go in unilateral aka going alone, only the US! or multilateral, working with partner and international organizations

Unilateral

going alone

Multilateral

working with partner and international organizations

Isolationism

Most constrained and narrow grand strategy;intervening creates enemies AND uses scarce resources

Chief Critique of Isolationism

Lack of american intervention can cause threats to grow in power over time and become a greater threat to the U.S

George Washington

Argues that the US should distance itself and avoid entanglements with foreign countries, important to consolidation of new nation; sets up tradition of isolationism; attachments to other countries will judgement on FP; alliances draw US into war; lead to poor relations

Woodrow Wilson/WWI

After __________/________, American public policy pushed towards isolationism. American experience in __________ was negative due to high casualties

Cold War

After _____ _____. Americans wanted isolationism

Selective Engagement (SE)

AKA offshore balancing; embrace the USA as a global superpower and are more comfortable with diplomacy (different from isolationism)

SE Logic

Logic: american interests abroad are still global but constrained, American power has limits, US must prioritize its interests and bring them in line with capacity, US must partner with regional powers - strives to preserve a great balance of power between the great countries.

SE critique

difficult to execute

Eisenhower

implemented SE; sought to alter nature of military commitment, europe to assume more responsibility of their defense to make conflict of soviet union at home, sought to preserve peace among the great power by relying more on nuclear weapons. pull back american troops but increase americans reliance on nuclear deterrent. Wanted to prevent isolationism in US.

George H. W. Bush

implemented SE; stabilize great power relations, relied on NATO to reassure USSR and manage German unification.

Liberal Internationalism (LI)

main objective is to achieve security through multilateral means for liberal international order.

LI Logic

American threats abroad are global, American security is collective and achieved through multilateral organizations and alliances, Security is best achieved in a world based on Western values(markets, democratic regimes, protecting human rights) and american intervention used to establish an American-led liberal international order

LI Critique

too expansive and maybe seen as imperialism

Liberal International Order

Multilateral security; Promotion of democracy

Woodrow Wilson

implemented LI; condoned collective security system through league of nations, anti-imperialist, democracy, free trade, open navigation in the seas

Posen

doesnt think Obama is a liberal internationalism but instead a president who believes in Primacy

Primacy

focus on America maintaining hegemony (dominance) in the world; unilateral means of achieving grand strategies; hard power

Primacy Logic

American interests abroad are global; Security is achieved unilaterally through dominant American power; Reliance on military power; Can be marked by emphasis from a worldview that is primarily realist (material) or idealist (values)

Primacy Critique

primacy can lead to overreach and isolation - faulted for being too ambiguous and costly and harming America's prestige abroad

Neoconservatism

The new republican philosophy of the 80s; reduced social programs, aggressive US overseas to promote democracy; George W shifts to this after 9/11

Bush 43 and Neoconservatism

-clear willingness to use military

-skepticism of international institutions

-democracy promotion

-9/11 shock factor

Krepinevich and Thornberry

-focus on expanding military power

-prevent regional hegemony; control global commons

-heavily increase military spending; control entitlements

Offshore Balancing

-maintain American hegemony in the western hemisphere

-troop pullback from abroad

-block regional hegemony

-press allies for burden sharing

-remain offshore as much as possible

Posen

liberal internationalism and primacy has been fused into one -> liberal hegemony; argues against american activism bc its caused a bad result ended up producing anti american balancing in which China and Russia have found them binding together to counter the US power

Articles 1 and 2

give Congress the authority to declare war, hold the "power of the purse" (both in section 8), and make treaties; this is how Madison separated powers

Article 2 Section 2

president is commander in chief; can make executive decision without congressional approval

Coordination Challenges

affect foreign policy decision-making because multiple departments with multiple people leads to coordination problems, mixed messages and need to have everyone on the same page.

Regional, country

On separate constituencies, the legislature have ________ or statewide policy at the forefront of their minds, while the President has concerns for the _______ as a whole.

Them (the Organizations)

Organizations want what's best for the US but more so what gives ____ the most influence or resources

All; same

Agencies spend ____ their resources (often at the end of the year) so that they can justify getting the _____ amount of resources the following year

Classical Liberalism

explains why presidential authority expands during times of war; more people want to support nation in anyway they can (even if it means paying more taxes);War elevates the importance of national goals in political calculations of congressional officials, which moves closer to the president's position, enhancing his authority and enabling him to achieve more of his domestic policy goals; president represents entire nation; congress care more about national interests rather than local constituents

Howell, Jackman, and Rogowski

-the contrast in regional vs national constituencies

-war elevates national goals

-therefore, enhancing presidential authority in time of war

Golan-Vilella

-what are legal foundations for continuing war on terror

-repeal 2002 AUMF, Iraq War is over

-Are we continuing war indefinitely off 2001 AUMF?

Article II section 2

treaties pass if 2/3 of senate approve

Stealth Multilateralism

Kaye argues that Senate has rejected all treaties pursued by presidents; destructive to US FP; president uses _____ _______ to bypass Senate

Weissman

-a strong critique of congressional inactivity on decisions to use military force

-historical shift with 9/11; executive and legislative more at odds

-congressional failures in Libya, syria

Treaties

Kay suggests that stealth multilateralism doesn't always work; binding ______ are needed for some policies and can only be created by senate ratification

War Powers Act

federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the United States to an

armed conflict without the consent of Congress;Every president since Nixon has said that this law is unconstitutional because it violates separation of powers

Why divided government leads to greater congressional oversight of FP

In short When congress and the president do not share the same political party, congress is more likely to use their oversight to check the president's actions; actually 7 separate reasons

Agenda Setting

public criticism of president can also shape public opinion of president by altering how and what the media covers.

Public Media

members of congress use _____ _______ to shape public opinion and ultimately FP decisions by president

Country, radical

Explains why President and Congress disagree on FP issues; president represents whole country; ideals vary greatly; congress represent smaller regions whose ideals can be very ____ or different from those of the nation

Shifts in public opinion, economic interests, political movements, special interest groups

four primary ways that societal interests affect U.S. foreign policy

Rally Around the Flag Effect

tendency for the public to rally behind the president and the cause of war at times of perceived crisis

nationalism, dramatic impact of foreign crises and lack of interest/information

why does rally around the flag effect occur

war fatigue

When support for war declines over time.

Casualty Phobic

As the number of casualties rise, support declines

Public Goods

A good everyone wants that has non-excludability and it is non rivalrous. Highways are an example

Free Rider Issue

people receiving the benefits of a good without having to pay the costs. National defense as a public good relates to this because everyone will receive defense no matter what they do because the US cannot selectively exclude people from defense based on participation

Special Interest Lobbying Groups

offer extra goodies if you join their organization that can oly be consume if you make a donation towards the public good; solve free rider problem

Businesses

Large_______ posses disproportionate amount of influence over FP

Open Door Policy

large corporations shaped the way US trades with the world by shaping policy that allows them to trade with any global economy

AIPAC

has a stranglehold on the US Congress due to its ability to reward legislators who support their agenda; punish those who challenge

Realism

is a foreign policy that is security based and has little room for value-based decisions and has little faith in foreign institutions

Idealism

Idealism supports value-based decisions and has more faith in international institutions.

Difficulties of Free Trade

-consumers poor advocates for free trade because of free rider problem and diffuse benefits

-Importing competing interest more successful at lobbying for protection because losses from free trade are more substancial

Obama

neither a realist or idealist

No new ground war, continuation of air strikes, repeal of 2002 AUMF, 3 year limit, no geographic limit

Key provisions of Obama's recent request for a new AUMF

Democrats

Think the president should have less power in matter regarding whether or not the US should go to war with ISIS

Mearsheimer and Walt's "the Israel Lobby"

-Unqualified support for Israel not in US strategic interest and thus this support is driven by domestic politics, namely powerful lobby groups

-Israel is not a vital strategic asset

-Israel Lobby is "shorthand for the loose coalition of individuals and organizations who actively work to steer US foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction"

American

global conflict originating in Europe after the French and Indian war led to the creation of the ______ state; rise in taxes, rise in colonial anger

paying for the war, protecting the western frontier

new challenges for the British in North America

Taxes

____ cause political opposition, increasingly focus on independence, mobilizes colonies

Loans and Military support

method by which the French helped during the American Revolution

Dec of Independence

signaled to France that the American colonies were worth supporting; seen as an irrevocable sign that they had to finish what they started

Articles of Conf

US more like an alliance which made them more vulnerable to attack; Congress possessed authority over diplomatic relations

US Constitution

anticipation of war with Europe lead to the construction of the ____ ________; weaknesses provoke attack;

John Jay

Worried that state rivalry (created by the Articles of Conf) would invite foreign intervention

FP under Jefferson and Madison

-Two key developments-Louisiana Purchase and War of 1812

-Reinforcing importance of external pressures (and war) to American political development

Latin movements, developments in Europe

reason why the US asserted the Monroe Doctrine when it did

British

enforced the Monroe Doctrine; feared that US trade would weaken if they didn't

Implications of Monroe Doctrine

an assertive US enters world stage, sphere of influence, anti-colonialism and protection of democracy

Global Power

The US became a ____ _____ after it added land and discovered natural resources both serving as basis for economic growth

Expanisionism

Forces that promoted ______ include population and economic growth, technology, ideology (aka Manifest Ideology)

Civil War

World was watching the US during the ______ _____; ultimate democracy test

Union Diplomacy

relied on economic ties and industrial base

Confederate Diplomacy

relied on cotton trade with Europe. Europe needed cotton to fuel textile mills during IRev. Europe would help if necessary. Failed

Slow

Zakaria claimed that US was _____ to expand because they curtailed plans for expansion due to lack of strong central government; civil war turn US inward to focus on consolidation instead of expansion; Congress needed to have executive authority and the US needed to build up a federal bureaucracy

Foreign Markets

Big businesses in the 18900s needed _____ ____ due to overproduction which was causing deflation; needed naval expansion; appealed to nationalist cause

Britain and France

favored Confederacy

Russia

favored the Union

American Territorial Expansion in 1890s

Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Philippines, Pacific Islands

Why expand in 1890s?

Institutional prerequisites for expansion: solidify federal authority over the states, executive authority over Congress, and build up federal bureaucracy

Archduke

Austria-hungary declared war on Serbia after the assassination of the ______; Europe collapsed into war due to network of alliances with these two nations

Woodrow Wilson

President that didn't want the US to enter WWI

Submarine Warfare

US entered WWI because of German _____; US wanted to shape the peace terms; US public was in favor of war due to American casualties