Afghanistan War -

al-Qaeda - the Islamic terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and numerous other actions against US overseas interests

Berlin Wall - a barrier built by East Germany in 1961 to cut off democratic West Berlin from communist East Berlin

Bretton Woods System - international financial system devised shortly before the end of WW@ that created the World Bank and International Monetary Fund

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - a US government agency dedicated to intelligence gathering and covert operations

Cold War - the period of superpower rivalry and confrontation between the US and Soviet Union

collective security - the idea that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries

containment - US policy of opposing Soviet expansion and communist revolutions around the world with military forces, economic assistance, and political influence

Cuban Missile Crisis - the 1962 confrontation over the deployment of ballistic missiles in Cuba

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

Department of Defense - Chief executive branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of US defense and military policy

Department of Homeland Security - cabinet department created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to coordinate domestic security efforts

Department of State - Chief executive branch department responsible for formulation and implementation of US foreign policy

détente - the improvement in relations between the US and the Soviet Union that occurred during the 1970s

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

European Union - an organization with political institutions that join 28 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

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

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

foreign-policy idealism - a perspective contending that the behavior of countries in the international arena is mainly intended to advance their values and principles

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

free trade system - a system of international trade that limits government interference on the sale of goods and services among countries

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) - post-WW2 economic development treaty designed to help facilitate international trade negotiations and promote free trade

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

Gulf War - a military conflict from 1990-1991 in which a US-led international coalition reversed the occupation of Kuwait by the armed forces of Iraq

human rights - the protection of people’s basic freedoms and needs

International Monetary Fund - international governmental organization designed to stabilize international currency transactions

Iraq War - a military conflict from 2003-2011 in which a US-led international coalition invaded Iraq and deposed its regime but proved unable to establish a stable government

Iron Curtain - a term used during the Cold War to describe the divide between the capitalist West and communist East

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

isolationism - the US policy of avoiding entangling alliances with foreign powers

Joint Chief of Staffs - Military advisory body that includes the Army chief of staff, the Air Force chief of staff, the chief of naval operations, and the Marine commandant

Korean War - a civil war from 1950-1953 between South and North Korea

League of Nations - a multilateral diplomatic organization that exited from 1920-1946 that sought to prevent future wars; the US never joined

manifest destiny - theory that the United States was divinely supported to expand across North America to the Pacific Ocean

Marshall Plan - European collective recovery program, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, that provided extensive American aid to western Europe after WW2

military-industrial complex - the network of political and financial relations formed by defense industries, the US armed forces, and Congress

Monroe Doctrine - President James Monroe’s 1823 pledge that the United States would oppose attempt by European states to reestablish their political control in the Western Hemisphere

National Security Council - the agency within the White House, led by the national security advisor, which bring together key foreign policy actors to advise the president

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - Agreement that promotes free movement of goods and services among Canada, Mexico, and the US

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - the first peacetime military treaty joined by the US; NATO is a collective security pact that includes the US, Canada, and parts of Europe

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

Reagan Doctrine - the Reagan administration’s commitment to ending communism by providing military assistance to anti-communist groups

Roosevelt Corollary - concept developed by President Theodore Roosevelt early in the 20th century declaring that it was the responsibility of the United State to ensure stability in Latin America and the Caribbean

September 11 - 9/11

strategic trade policy - a trade policy wherein governments seeks key industries that they wish to see grow and enact policies to support their development and success

tariffs - taxes on imported goods

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - a proposed agreement between the US and 11 other nations on the Pacific Rim intended to substantially lower tariffs and protect intellectual property

Truman Doctrine - US anti-communist policy initiated in 1947 that became the basis of US foreign policy through out the Cold War

UN Security Council -a principal part of the UN, charged with authorizing peacekeeping operations, international sanctions, and military action in order to maintain global peace and security

United Nations - a multilateral diplomatic organization founded in 1945 and continuing today; the US is a founding member

Vietnam War - a civil war in Vietnam

War Powers Resolution - passed by Congress in 1973; the president is limited in the deployment of of troops overseas to a 60-day period in peace time unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period

World Bank - international governmental organization created to provide loans for large economic development projects

World Trade Organization (WTO) - an international organization that replace GATT in 1995 to supervise and expand international trade

World War I - a global military conflict from 1914-1918

World War II - a global military conflict from 1939-1945