Foreign Policy

A policy based on decision making, influenced by relations

with the rest of the world

Actors• International Organizations

– the United Nations: designed to prevent war, protect human rights, and foster economic freedom

– the International Monetary Fund: regulates global finances

– the World Bank: makes loans for developing projects in new nations

– the World Trade Organization: regulates international trade

– the Universal Postal Union: gets the mail around the globe

More Actors• Regional Organizations

– several nations bound together by military or economic treaties

– e.g., NATO and the Warsaw Pact

– e.g., the European Union

• Multinational Corporations– “large businesses with vast

holdings in many countries”– they have tremendous

economic power; ergo, tremendous political power

Still More Actors• Nongovernmental Organizations

(NGOs)– groups which act on the global stage– e.g., Greenpeace, Amnesty

International, labor unions, and churches

– also, terrorist cells

• Individuals– tourists– students– immigrants– refugees

Policymakers• The president

– chief diplomat– negotiates treaties– commander-in-chief– appoints ambassadors– appoints heads of agencies– recognizes and accepts foreign

diplomats

• State Department– Secretary of State is the chief

advisor to the president on foreign policy

– The department is responsible for staffing embassies and consulates

More Policy Makers• the National Security Establishment

– Department of Defense (the Pentagon)• Houses the Army, Navy, and Air Force• Secretary of Defense advises the president on

national defense• Joint Chiefs of Staff are the commanders of

the military who advise the president• National Security Council coordinates foreign

and defense policy

– Central Intelligence Agency• gathers and analyzes intelligence abroad• bulk of information comes from government

reports and newspapers• conducts illegal and covert activities, too

Yet More Policymakers• Congress

– declares war– raises the army– appropriates funds– approves treaties– confirms ambassadors– confirms cabinet

appointments

• Legislative Branch is designed to work with the Executive Branch to institute foreign policy

History of Foreign Policy• Isolationism• Monroe Doctrine• World War II

– U.S. becomes global player

• Cold War– containment, brinkmanship,

and the arms race

• Détente– slow change from hostility

to cooperation

• Reagan Rearmament• War on Terror

New Global Agenda• The U.S. paradox

– we have immense military and economy power, but can’t “run the show”

• Changing military policy– might is no longer the way to achieve goals– the ability to persuade is becoming the key

factor• Nuclear proliferation

– trying to stop who has the bomb• International economy

– actions of one nation impacts the economy of another

– the U.S. is concerned with balance of trade: what is paid for imports versus what is earned on exports

– also foreign aid: humanitarian efforts, economic stabilization, military aid, and agricultural development

Bottom Line

The government has more freedom in foreign policy because Americans are more concerned with domestic policy.