Transcript never actually used

Chapter 14
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
The Nature of Foreign Policy
• Foreign policy: programs and policies that
determine America’s relations with other nations
and foreign entities.
• American foreign policy arenas:
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Diplomacy
Military and security policy
International human rights policy
Economic policy
Economic Prosperity Helps All Nations
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Three main goals of U.S. foreign policy:
– Security
– Economic prosperity
– Creation of a better world
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Security
– Traditionally concerned with dangers posed by
hostile foreign nations
• Military and regime threats at home and abroad
– Today, threats posed by nonstate actors
• Organized groups that are not nation-states
• Such groups attempt to play a role in the international
system via rogue means.
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Isolationism: desire to avoid involvement in the
affairs of other nations
• Most of nineteenth century, isolationism was
dominant U.S. foreign policy
• Much easier in era when United States not yet a
military or economic world power
• Technology (aircraft, communications, banking)
era also made isolationism viable.
Goals of Foreign Policy
• World War II ended isolationism.
• Isolation was replaced with deterrence.
• Deterrence: develop and maintain military strength
as means of discouraging attack
– So strong that no enemy dares engage
• Point of military buildup is so that weapons are never
actually used
– Stockpiling weapons for invasion is NOT a deterrence
strategy.
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Preventive war (preemption): policy of striking
first when a nation fears that a foreign foe is
planning hostile action
• Appeasement: effort to forestall war by giving in
to the demands of a hostile power
Goals of Foreign Policy
• The Cold War (1940s–1990s)
– After World War II, the U.S. and USSR became the world’s
two superpowers.
– Each was capable of destroying the world many times over
with their nuclear arsenals.
– Never fought one another directly (a “hot war”)
– Competed for the allegiances of other countries
• Nations all over the globe allied themselves with the
United States or USSR (democracy v. communism)
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Deterrence assumes certainty and rationality.
– Works for countries (except rogue states) but not for
nonstate actors
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USSR and U.S. both feared global nuclear war;
neither would directly attack the other.
Terrorist groups not fearful of losing life among their
own group members/followers
Goals of Foreign Policy
• U.S. international economic policies promote
prosperity by:
– Expanding domestic employment
• Ex.: Toyota factories in six U.S. states
– Maintaining access to foreign natural resources at
favorable costs
– Promoting foreign investment in the United States
– Lowering prices that citizens pay for goods and
services
Goals of Foreign Policy
• World trade
– World Trade Organization (WTO): promotes free trade
and provides a dispute mechanism for members
– North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):
eliminated tariffs on imports between America,
Canada, and Mexico
Goals of Foreign Policy
• International humanitarian policies
– International environmental policies
– International human rights policies
– International peacekeeping
• These policies can range in priority depending
on the other security and trade issues
associated with a given nation.
America Seeks a Better World
Goals of Foreign Policy
• The United States has been on the forefront of
human rights issues.
– U.S. constitutional protections against discrimination
based on race, gender, political beliefs, and religion
• Other nations often look to America to take
leadership on human rights issues, even if only
in public statements.
• Economic interest can take priority though.
Goals of Foreign Policy
• Humanitarian efforts include peacekeeping.
– Sending troops to keep other nations from fighting
one another
– Often combined with efforts to protect civilians from
starvation, homelessness, and abuse
– Most frequently joined by other nations in these
efforts
– Humanitarian relief during natural disasters (funds,
military, medical, logistical support)
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• Presidents dominate foreign policy matters.
– Can directly set foreign policy strategies easily
– Ambassador and military appointments
– Relationships with foreign heads of state
• Congress has a role, but is less influential.
• Courts, interest groups, and public opinion can
play a role, too.
– Highly charged issues like Iraq War
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• Presidents can be tremendously influential.
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Head of state
Ability to initiate treaties and agreements
Place senior officials who oversee bureaucracy
Have enormous resources available for policy making
Constitutional authorities uniquely position president
for foreign policy leadership.
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• Major governmental players in foreign policy
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Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
Director of CIA
Director of National Security Council (NSC)
• President appoints all of these positions.
– Hence, foreign policy can easily reflect a president’s
agenda (at least more readily than domestic policy).
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
Principal Foreign Policy Provisions of the
Constitution
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• Constitution: Congress has the power to declare war.
– Has only done so five times: War of 1812, Mexican War
(1846), Spanish American War (1898), WW I (1917), WW II
(1941)
• Congress controls funding for war.
– Rarely refuses to fund military actions the president has
initiated.
– Politically very unpopular to vote against funds associated
with American military troops at war
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• Interest groups
– Economic interest groups
– National origin groups
• Examples: Jewish Americans with respect to
Israel; Cuban Americans
– Human rights groups
• Media
– Negative media can lead to negative pubic opinion.
Interest Groups Pressure Foreign Policy
Decision Makers
Who Makes American Foreign Policy?
• In times of foreign crisis:
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The presidency is at its strongest.
• Congress not designed to act quickly
• Media and public look to singular voice, leader on
crisis matters
– The circle of influence is very constrained.
– Foreign actors can limit options open to U.S. policy
makers.
Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy
• Diplomacy: the representation of a government
to other foreign governments
• American civilian jobs with the foreign service
(state department) require extensive skill sets,
and the process is very selective.
• United Nations: comprised of 192 countries,
each of which gets one vote
The United Nations is the World’s Congress
Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy
• Economic aid
– America provides $30b a year to other countries
– “Carrot” (positive incentive, benefits) to get countries
to take desired actions that U.S. prefers
• Economic sanctions
– “Stick” (negative incentive, penalties) to get countries
to take desired actions that U.S. prefers
– Trade embargoes, bans on investment, bans on
travel, freezing of assets held in banks
Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy
• Bank for reconstruction and development (World
Bank)
– Mechanism for governments to lend money to one
another in ways that private-sector markets could not
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
– Helps stressed nations borrow short-term funds
Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy
• Collective security
– OAS, NATO, ANZUS, SATO
– An armed attack against any of its members “shall be
considered as an attack against all…”
• Arbitration: resolution of disagreement by a
neutral third party
– “Soft power” as opposed to the military
– Virtually all international contracts have arbitration.
Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy
Public Opinion Poll
Should the United States engage in trade or offer any
kind of military support to nations with well-documented
human rights abuses that are contrary to democracy?
a)Yes, the U.S. should do business with such nations
if it benefits the United States.
a)No, the U.S. should not trade or offer assistance to
nations that are antidemocratic in any manner.
Public Opinion Poll
Should Congress be required to declare war
before the
United States engages in armed conflicts?
a) Yes, there should be formal declarations of war
by Congress that signal the will of the people
and the nation to engage in the conflict.
b) No, formal declarations are not needed and
serve no real purpose.
Public Opinion Poll
Which foreign policy tactic would be the most
successful to convince the largest number of
nations to
adopt policies favorable to the United States?
a) Economic benefits and/or sanctions
b) Military threats
c) Diplomacy (dialogue, negotiation)
Public Opinion Poll
Should the United States adopt a more isolationist
foreign policy approach as it did a century ago?
a) Yes, America should not intervene or engage
with other nations much, if at all.
b) No, America must be engaged with the rest of
the world and viewed as a major power/player
by other nations.
Public Opinion Poll
What is the biggest foreign policy concern to
American
national interests?
a) Terrorist threats
b) Rising economic powers make the American
economy weaker
c) Cyber hacks and attacks that compromise
American state secrets (WikiLeaks)
Chapter 14: Foreign Policy
• Quizzes
• Flashcards
• Outlines
• Exercises
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