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Free Essays > Politics > Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
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Word Count: 2207
Page Count: 9 Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
With the world balancing on the edge of destruction, foreign relationships areextremely important to the United States of America. The United States is fullyrecognized as the most powerful nation on the planet earth, and with that power comes adefinitive sense of responsibility. The U.S. needs to pay close attention to thisresponsibility if it hopes to keep its place on the throne as king of the nations. This iswhere the United States foreign policy comes into play. Foreign policy is essentiallypositive or negative interaction with other nations as well as the goals and principles thatare included (Morrison #1 607). The United States have a couple of choices concerningtheir position; they could play the part of world leader or the part of world loner. Let’slook at the viewpoint of an average college student whose knowledge of world affairs issomewhat lacking and then discuss the possible positions the United States can take inregards to their place in the world. I will also go over an example of each and get a graspof what our government’s two political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, sayabout these.
The main purpose of every countries foreign policy is to survive and stay stable intodays world (Morrison #2 434). It is policy that provides a strong national security,keeps a good economy with other nations, and it is a chance to provide influence in theworld; but above all this is the want for international peace (434). One of the main waysto conduct good foreign policy is that of diplomacy, where nations negotiate andcompromise problems they might have in order to get along (434). By these diplomaticrelations, countries can interact with one another and learn to work together for a betterunderstanding of each others nations. Another method of foreign policy is that of being aloner or isolationist. Isolationism is the idea that we keep to ourselves and our ownwestern hemisphere rather than venture into the affairs of the eastern world (Morrison #1611). This was basically the accepted perspective taken by the United States up untilabout the first world war when President Woodrow Wilson decided to plunge into the wareffort. Then a peacekeeping association came about called the League of Nations, whichWilson helped propose, but the United States Senate gave it a firm “no” (608). This keptthe United States in its loner state once again.
Some years later the United States entered a period of awakening concerninggetting out and about in the world. We journeyed into a time of Internationalism after thesecond world war but it was many earlier events that led up to this, particularly ourinteraction with Latin America. Back when the United States was just breaking awayfrom Britain and starting as a nation, President James Monroe came up with a declarationcalled the Monroe Doctrine. In 1823 he wrote this, telling European nations to keeptheir noses in their own hemisphere (609). What Monroe didn’t know was that he wasestablishing a beginning to a leadership responsibility in not only the western hemisphere,but in the entire world. The United States began sticking up for nations such as Mexicoand Puerto Rico, and soon got involved in various other Latin American countries. Infact, the United States got involved eight times from 1904 to 1934, then again in theaffairs of Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the destruction of the leftistgovernment of Brazil after the second world war (612). It was during the beginning ofWorld War II that the United States began to get more involved. At first the UnitedStates tried to keep to itself and stay out of the fighting. But when Germany, Japan, andItaly tried to expand by force into China, Ethiopia, Poland, Austria, and present day CzechRepublic, Britain and France declared war on Hitler, and the United States did nothing(611-612). It wasn’t until that fateful day of December 7 in 1941 when the United Stateshad had enough. Pearl Harbor was attacked and Americans died, which was more thanenough for us to start our trek into Internationalism and intervention. After World WarII, the United States began its journey as world leader. It was now time for America tohelp other nations rebuild and start its hate of Communism. George Marshall, an ArmyGeneral for the United States came up with the Marshall Plan, one that would provideextensive help for other nations in Europe by providing loans for economic recovery. Later America plunged itself into a war with North Korea to protect its neighboring SouthKorea, this was possible through the United Nations Security Council and although manyAmericans lost their lives, we created a bond with the South Koreans. The next set offoreign aid came when John F. Kennedy was President. Kennedy not only began thecounterinsurgency force called the Green Berets to stop communism, but also invadedCuba and posed the question of war with Russia (612). Then came one of the biggestinterventions in Americas history of foreign policy.
In the late 1950’s the United States, under John F. Kennedy sent 16,000 Americanmilitary “advisers” to Vietnam (612). The southern based republic of Vietnam was indesperate need of help against the Viet Cong, which was the Communist funded NorthVietnamese. This was actually the beginning of two wars. The first was a strugglebetween Vietnamese nationalists and the French colonial regime which was aided by theUnited States at the time. During this second war the United States stepped in to take theplace of France against the northern based Communists and the southern insurgents. TheUnited States felt it had to get involved to stop this Communist attack, if it were tohappen that the Communists won, we thought that the “Domino theory” would go intoaffect. Basically what this theory said was, that if one southeastern country were to fall tothe Communists the rest would follow like dominoes. After Kennedy was assassinatedLyndon B. Johnson stepped into the role of Vietnamese protector and current Communistbane. He increased the United States troops and started a plan to bomb the NorthVietnam area. During the course of the war Johnson relied heavily on the use of SelectiveService, the drafting of Americans into the military, to send for support. All this supportwas for naught though, fore in January of 1973, a truce was signed in Vietnam and theUnited States withdrew their troops and involvement as Vietnam was ..
...taken over by thenorthern Communist government (613). Americans now began a series of skepticismregarding foreign relations that ended up in war. Some Americans were not very happyabout the United States getting involved with other nations’ civil wars, but there weresome that feel as I do; that we were helping to put and end to Communist control in theworld. Although we were unsuccessful in the particular instance of Vietnam, I think thatthe United States should take on the role as world protector.
I believe that the United States should definitely play the part of world protectorwhenever and wherever possible. In the beginning, I was essentially for the United Statesbeing Isolationist, but as time progressed I decided that this is the only way that ournation can go. The United States is the most powerful nation on earth, both economicallyand militarily, this is a statement hardly anyone can deny (Tonelson 45). The fact that weare the most powerful nation only says that we should take initiative, and guide the worldtowards peace. It is a responsibility that the United States has to other nations in theworld. The reason for this is simple. Not only does taking the initiative of world leadershow the fact that we have power but also other things. By concerning ourselves withother nations affairs we can make allies that will be good for the future. Granted somelook at this as sticking our nose in other countries business, but I don’t look at it that way. I look at it like this, there will always be those that are weak in the world and there willalways be the strong, therefore I feel those that are in power and are strong, should stickup for these nations, and let them know that they do have some one else in the world thatcares. By involving ourselves as world police if you will, we also gain power in theprocess of doing our share of helping others. Now that I have proposed my opinion, it isimportant that we see what our national leader and our government say about foreignpolicy.
Lets take a brief look at the Clinton administration over the last term. Many saythat by and large Bill Clintons’ foreign policy for his first term is passive and reactive(Zakaria 30). Leading Republicans say that the Clinton administration was a foreignpolicy of wish fulfillment and that it wanted China to respect their people and their rights,for Bosnia to be one nation once more, Hussein to be cowed, and North Korea to betotally rid of nuclear arms (Heilbrunn 28). This timid and wishful approach to foreignpolicy made some Americans quite upset; it is not like the United States not to keep anactive role in the world. Clinton feels that he is doing a good job though, and likes to beactively involved as a world peacemaker. In fact, recently Clinton has began an expansionof his presidential power concerning foreign policy, and many historians say that the onlyother president to rival this power was Nixon (Walsh 30). Clinton has a bold attitudewhen it comes to intervention. He showed the power of the United States ChiefExecutive with his sending of military power to Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq, and Somalia (Walsh30). He completely ignored the existence of the War Powers Resolution which was putinto action in 1973, says Political Scientist Louis Fisher (Steel 34-36). The War PowersResolution was made in order to keep the President from sending troops to other nationswithout Congress approval. Clinton does not want to come across as a forceful leaderthough. In fact, President Clinton see this forcefulness as a threat to him becoming asymbol of peace in the world. He thinks that only America can achieve global peacebecause of its unrivaled power and stature (Omestad 36-37). In the ‘96 campaign forPresidency, Clinton had a profound statement considering his agenda for foreign policy.He talked about his election seasons foreign policy as not being very interesting to theaverage joe in a barber shop or in the cafes of small town America and then said, “ Thereare times when only America can make the difference between war and peace, betweenfreedom and repression, between life and death” (36). It’s this concern by Clinton that hasmade him a good foreign policy President.
As a child of about 10 years old, there were a number of times when I would stickup for my younger sister. She was always getting into some fight with some girl that wasbigger than her, or the class bully who wanted her lunch money. I, being older and morepowerful if you will, not in great strength for my size, but stronger in the aire of my age,would jump in to save the day. This not only created a bond with my younger sibling butalso a measure of gratitude from other kids my sisters age. Imagine being looked up toand revered by many as a leader. This is the very essence of the United States. When ourfounding fathers were fighting the British for independence and their very lives, they neverknew just what a symbol of freedom the United States of America would become. Theydidn’t know that one day, this nation of rebels would have the responsibility of maintainingorder in the world we live in. The government has a obligation to Americans to keep themin touch with other nations, not only for our sake, but the sake of the world. As a, no asthe superpower on earth, we should make foreign policy an important aspect of ourgoverning. We have gone over the different views of foreign policy such as Isolationismand Internationalism and gone over some past problems in other countries that neededAmerican intervention. I have also discussed the views of Bill Clinton and what role heplays in the United States foreign policy in this decade. Who knows what might happen inthe future? Is a world of peace and tranquillity so far fetched? I believe that it possibly is,but our nation was founded under strong moral beliefs that should be reflected not onlynow but in years to come; a sense of responsibility as a world leader and as a decidingforce in the world. In the winter of 96/97 Bill Clinton gave a profound speech to theDemocratic National Convention in Chicago. He summed it up best with this, “We cannotsave all the world’s children, but we can save many of them. We cannot become theworld’s policeman. but where our values and our interests are at sake and where we canmake a difference we must act and we must lead. That is our job and we are better,stronger and safer because we are doing it”(Omestad 37).
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