Transcript Goals and Tools of Foreign Policy

Goals and Tools of Foreign
Policy
Goals of Foreign Policy
 National Security
 Free and Open International Trade
 Promoting Democracy
 World Peace
 Concern For Human Rights
National Security
 Protecting our nation and its borders
from foreign invaders
 It includes policies about:
 Arms
control
 Terrorism
 Weapons of mass destruction
 National Security is the most important
goal of the U.S.
Free and Open International Trade
 We need to maintain free trade with other countries
in order to:



Employ Americans
Obtain natural resources
Maintain a peaceful relationship
with other countries
Promoting Democracy
 We have encouraged and helped other
nations form democratic political
systems because:
 We
believe the democracy is the freest and
best political system in the world
 Having other countries that are democratic
will reduce the chances of armed conflict
World Peace
 If other nations are at peace, then the U.S. has less of
a chance of being drawn into a conflict
 Our own national security
depends on our ability to
maintain peaceful relations
with other nations
Concern For Human Rights
 We encourage basic human rights for all
citizens of the world and ensure that all
people are treated with dignity and respect
 We have done this by providing food,
medical supplies, and disaster relief
 This foreign aid helps support developing
nations, promotes our friendship, and
provides political stability
Tools of Foreign Policy
 The methods that the U.S. uses to carry
out its foreign policy goals
 It includes:
 Military
Force
 Alliances
 Diplomacy
 Foreign Aid
 Trade Measures
 Intelligence
Military
 Used to defend against foreign
aggressors
 Used to discourage aggression
Alliances
 A group of nations that come together
to promote:
 Peace
 Economic
NAFTA
 Security
NATO
relationships
Diplomacy
 Communication and
negotiation between
nations that may help
resolve disagreements
 This can often lead to
treaties or alliances
 The U.S. maintains
embassies and
consulates in nations we
formally recognize.
 The President appoints
an ambassador to
officially represent the
U.S. in each recognized
nation.
Foreign Aid
 Economic Aid
 Giving
loans or grants
 Help developing countries develop an
infrastructure (roads, power, water)
 Help rebuild after a war or natural disaster
 Humanitarian Aid
 Give food, shelter, and clothing after a disaster
 Offer help for political prisoners and refugees
 Provide medicine and training for health care
Trade Measures
 Sanctions –
A
formal type of punishment created by your
country’s government
 You stop providing another country with aid,
food, medicine, trade, etc.
 Embargos  A formal type of economic sanction created by
your country’s government
 Formally prohibits the businesses from a country
from trading with a particular nation
Trade Measures
 Boycotts –
 These
are not started by the government
 Citizens of a nation informally decide to
stop buying goods from another country
Intelligence
 The U.S. uses information gathered from
satellites, news, ambassadors, spies, etc. to
help protect our citizens and infrastructure
Propaganda
 One-sided information used by the
government with the purpose of
persuading its citizens or the citizens of
another nation
• How active should America
be in world affairs?
 Isolationism
Focus on domestic rather than international
affairs
 Internationalism

Assume an active role in international affairs

Isolationist or Internationalist?
 Isolationist: Our National Interest (for Trade?)
 Internationalist: Universalist – Interests/rights of
others vs. What’s best for USA
A girl performs domestic labour in a rural Mauritanian
encampment. The International Labour Organization estimates
there are at least 10 million working children in Africa alone.
http://www.un.org/en/rights/
YOUR VIEW: What path should the U.S.
follow in foreign affairs today ? Why?
 1. Totally isolationist
 2. Mostly isolationist
 3. Mostly internationalist
 4. Totally internationalist