lecture 14: foreign policy
what is foreign policy
American foreign policy includes our national security policy
policy designed to protect the independence and the political and economic integrity of the united states
foreign policy is a country’s external goals and the techniques/strategies used to achieve them
tools of foreign policy
diplomacy
the process by which states carry on relations with each other
can also mean settling conflicts peacefully
economic aid
assistance to other nations through grants, loans, or credits to buy the assisting nations products
technical assistance
sending individuals with expertise In a agriculture, engineering or business to aid other nations
competing views of foreign policy
moral idealism
views nations as willing’s to cooperate and agree on certain moral standards for conduct
political realism
sees each nation acting principally in its own interest
its a dog eat dog world
current American challenges in world politics
increasingly belligerent Russia under Putin
Syrian civil war/ rise of ISIS/ chemical weapons
Iran
global economics issues/ trade
aftermath of war in Iraq and Afghanistan/ al Qaeda
environment/ climate change/ energy
terrorism
nuclear proliferation/ north Korea
China as a rising power
erosion of the EU/brexit
powers of the president in making foreign policy
constitutional powers
swears to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the unites states
commander in chief
appoint ambassador
negotiates treaties (must be rarified by senate)
can enter into executive agreements
informal powers
access to information (intelligence community)
legislative leader who can influence congress
can influence public opinion
can commit the nation morally to a course of action
other sources of foreign policy
congress
department of state
national security council
the intelligence community
the department of defense
major foreign policy themes
negative foreign policy during 1800s (also known as isolationism)
mistrust of Europe
US military weak during this period
shaped by the Monroe doctrine
Spanish American war and world war 1
seen as temporary entanglements
lasted from 1898-1918
followed by a resurgence of isolation
the era of internationalism
began with bombing of Peral harbor and US entry into world war 2
resulted in significant increases in defense spending
US emerged from world war 2 with a strengthened economy and became the leading global military and economic power
the cold war: ideological political and economic impasse between the US and the society union following WW1
US foreign policy dominated by containment or stopping communist expansion
Cuban missile crisis was the closet the superpowers came to direct confrontation
detente between the US and the soviet union occurred in the late 1960 and early 1970
during the 1980 Reagan lobbied for the development of the strategic defense initiative (SDI or star wars)
rapidly increases nuclear stockpiles only to later negotiate arms control
disintegration of Ussr made negotiating arms control more difficult nuclear weapons are now help by more sovereign nations
tensions with Russia today the highest since the cold war
what is foreign policy
American foreign policy includes our national security policy
policy designed to protect the independence and the political and economic integrity of the united states
foreign policy is a country’s external goals and the techniques/strategies used to achieve them
tools of foreign policy
diplomacy
the process by which states carry on relations with each other
can also mean settling conflicts peacefully
economic aid
assistance to other nations through grants, loans, or credits to buy the assisting nations products
technical assistance
sending individuals with expertise In a agriculture, engineering or business to aid other nations
competing views of foreign policy
moral idealism
views nations as willing’s to cooperate and agree on certain moral standards for conduct
political realism
sees each nation acting principally in its own interest
its a dog eat dog world
current American challenges in world politics
increasingly belligerent Russia under Putin
Syrian civil war/ rise of ISIS/ chemical weapons
Iran
global economics issues/ trade
aftermath of war in Iraq and Afghanistan/ al Qaeda
environment/ climate change/ energy
terrorism
nuclear proliferation/ north Korea
China as a rising power
erosion of the EU/brexit
powers of the president in making foreign policy
constitutional powers
swears to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the unites states
commander in chief
appoint ambassador
negotiates treaties (must be rarified by senate)
can enter into executive agreements
informal powers
access to information (intelligence community)
legislative leader who can influence congress
can influence public opinion
can commit the nation morally to a course of action
other sources of foreign policy
congress
department of state
national security council
the intelligence community
the department of defense
major foreign policy themes
negative foreign policy during 1800s (also known as isolationism)
mistrust of Europe
US military weak during this period
shaped by the Monroe doctrine
Spanish American war and world war 1
seen as temporary entanglements
lasted from 1898-1918
followed by a resurgence of isolation
the era of internationalism
began with bombing of Peral harbor and US entry into world war 2
resulted in significant increases in defense spending
US emerged from world war 2 with a strengthened economy and became the leading global military and economic power
the cold war: ideological political and economic impasse between the US and the society union following WW1
US foreign policy dominated by containment or stopping communist expansion
Cuban missile crisis was the closet the superpowers came to direct confrontation
detente between the US and the soviet union occurred in the late 1960 and early 1970
during the 1980 Reagan lobbied for the development of the strategic defense initiative (SDI or star wars)
rapidly increases nuclear stockpiles only to later negotiate arms control
disintegration of Ussr made negotiating arms control more difficult nuclear weapons are now help by more sovereign nations
tensions with Russia today the highest since the cold war