Foreign Policy 

Table of Contents

1. Thesis2. Manifest Destiny3. Monroe Doctrine4. Politics5. Opinion6. Worldviews7. World War II8. Post-Pearl Harbor Opinion9. World War II Propaganda10. The War on Terror11. Analysis12. Works Consulted

Thesis

Inspired by ideals intrinsic to American development, such as "Manifest Destiny" and theories originating in

the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has matured to a status of policing the global community and

intervening in a pervasive manner with regards to foreign policy.

Manifest Destiny"A God-given right and inevitability for the United States to spread its

Protestant religion, capitalist economy, and democratic-republican political system across the continental United States."

• It was the destiny of America, as dictated by Divine Right, to dominate inferior cultures

• Used as justification for the United State's expansionist foreign policy (eased "guilty consciences")

• Augmented a national sense of purpose

• Manifest Destiny began as a purely      domestic ideal, but soon worked in      conjunction with the major territorial      acquisitions occurring between 1783-1853

• American destiny to expand the ideals of its empire--no longer in a territorial sense, but in a cultural one--is ingrained in modern foreign policy                        

Source 1

                                

                                                                                                                               

Monroe Doctrine1823

• Original doctrine was a self-proclaimed                                              arrangement by the US agreeing to

       remain neutral in European affairs if        Europe agreed not to interfere with the        Western Hemisphere 

• The Roosevelt Corollary of 1904 defended the negative interpretations of the Monroe Doctrine 

• Roosevelt vindicated that the US was only interested in ridding the world, and specifically the Western Hemisphere of "chronic wrongdoing"

• America was henceforth declared an "international police power"

                                                                                                                                                              Sources 1 & 3

PoliticsInfluence on Foreign Affairs

• Majoritarian Politics- foreign policy decisions that elicit widely distributed benefits and widely distributed costs.

• Interest Group Politics- foreign policy decisions that grant benefits to certain groups and impose costs on others.

• Client Politics- foreign policy decisions that benefit a small group without imposing any apparent costs on the majority.

Majoritarian policy in regards to external action is the most characteristic of American decisions. Keeping with the thesis of the United States as a "police force," majoritarian policy has historically benefitted America and its allies

while distributing costs on "subservient" cultures.

Source 3

Opinion

PUBLIC   • Poorly informed• Foreign affairs do not affect

daily life• Generally feel that America

should play an important international role

• More worried about protecting citizens domestically

• highly determined by president's stance

ELITE• College-educated• Opinion likely to change

more rapidly because consequences and effects are understood

• Leaders that effect foreign policy: more liberal, internationalist view

Example: Vietnam WarThe public supported the troops in Vietnam but did not agree with war efforts; elites initially supported war efforts but became upset and actively protested when the US was on the offensive.

Source 3

Worldviews"Comprehensive mental pictures of the critical problems

facing the United States in the world and of the appropriate and inappropriate ways of responding to these problems."

• Isolationism (1920-1930s, aftertaste of WWI)

• Containment (After WWII, rise of Communism)

• Disengagement (After Vietnam crisis)

• Human Rights (Intervention in Kosovo)

Source 3

World War IIA Case Study

• The public opinion on foreign policy before World War II was one opposed to involvement in foreign affairs. 

• The people felt that the costs of entering war outweighed the benefits. 

 • In 1939, only 13% of Americans polled in favor

for involvement of the war. •  • Congress, in hopes of maintaining popularity with

the people, reflected their opinion.  • In 1941, the house continued the draft by one

vote.

Source 3 

Post-Pearl Harbor Opinion On December 7th, Pearl Harbor was attacked and completely

changed the public opinion on war. Suddenly, everyone wanted to join the war against the Nazis

and Japanese. Congress declared War with only one dissenting vote. Everyone was concerned with avenging the Japanese for

attacking us.  •  After WWII, America had created "international responsibilities" for

itself. It had become its obligation to help other nations.

World War II was successful because:1. There was one defined evil (Nazis).2. The U.S. avenged an attack on its homeland (Pearl Harbor).3. U.S. emerged from WWII as a dominant world power (a-bomb).

Source 3

World War II PropagandaVideo Clip

   

Source 4

The War on TerrorA Case Study

E• Every American wanted to go to war with

Afghanistan and anywhere terrorist groups thrived after 9/11.

• •It was Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda (a terrorist group), who orchestrated the attacks.

• •Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, therefore America got involved there to disband the perceived threat.

• 9/11 served as a refocus for America’s foreign policy.  • Everyone in the United States was keen on avenging this attack and

curbing terrorism around the world.

Source 3

• The War on Terrorism is an      unconventional war; there are      many enemies that are not easily      identified. • The people feel as if it is now 

     America’s job to remove terrorist      threats from other countries.• While the U.S. has received support from countries such as Great

Britain, it is single-handedly fighting terrorism, which is a new phenomenon in American foreign strategy

• With ubiquitous terror, peacetime is in a controversial state

Source 3

The War on TerrorA Case Study

Analysis• The most recent and pivotal issues Congress faces is the unaided

and constant war that defines the War on Terror

• With terror as a constant threat, what constitutes a peacetime military?

• The War on Terror also demonstrates the interventionist nature of America, and perhaps foreshadows America's need to focus more on a disengagement policy

• In terms of foreign affairs, another undertone within the fight against terrorism is Samuel P. Huntington's theory regarding the clash of cultures

• If the interventionist tendency of America is not resolved, the global community will certainly head for a "West versus the rest" foreign policy

• In order to ease this probable tension, America should not feel obliged to act as a global police force and should seek to remain more neutral while still providing diplomacy to deserving foreign nations

Works Consulted

Epstein, Mark. "U.S. Foreign Affairs from 1812 to the 1850s." Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP United States History Examination. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 136-41. Print. (Source 1)             Roosevelt, Theodore. "The Roosevelt Corollary." World War I and the Jazz Age. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. American Journey. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. (Source 2)

Wilson, James Q., and John J. Dilulio, Jr. "Chapter 20: Foreign and Military Policy." American Government. 9th ed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. 553-83. Print. (Source 3)

"World War II Anti German Propaganda - Part I." YouTube - Broadcast                         Yourself. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/>. (Source 4)