Diplomatic History of the US Since 1914 - Essay Example

Diplomatic History of the US Since 1914 of the of the Diplomatic History of the US Since 1914 As the 1900s gave way to the new millennium, it became increasingly clear that a new era in American and world history had begun. The influence οf American foreign policy and culture on the world was increasing very fast. “From Switzerland to Soviet Union, Europeans acknowledged America’s cultural leadership,” (Merrill 104) The old era had been dominated by the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new era was defined by the rise οf a new global economy...the ways in which the worlds peoples lived, worked, and governed themselves. Global communication, trade, and capital flow all grew rapidly. The United States rose to being the most powerful military supremacy nation in the world due to Reagan and Bushs destruction οf the Cold War, bridging the 80s into the new 90s. George Bushs CIA and ambassadorial experience provided Americas key to our foreign policy negotiations, aiding in our nations leadership over the world. This defeat and new era caused our domestic and social society within America into a state οf confusion and caused Americans to question what role they would play in this new society. How can we believe now after September 11, that we still or always have had leadership or supremacy in this world? How could the heart οf our country be damaged so much affecting our nation as a whole? This recent tragedy damaged the core οf our patriotism changing foreign and domestic policy after the 90s. During the 90s, a time οf new cultural expression and power, the US was willing to use any economic, political, or military force necessary to uphold the new global system. After the Reagan legacy, President Bill Clinton created the "New Democrats," which, sought to replace the partys older industrial and agricultural bases with a new, if unwieldy, coalition οf women, minorities, social liberals, and technological progressives. “The increasing movement οf women into the public world in industrialized societies at the turn οf the century and the inclusion οf members and national sections from dependent and formerly colonial countries in the 1920s and 1930s complicated the process οf constructing a collective identity,” (Merrill 105) Throughout American history, the issue οf freedom has always prevailed and equality οf everyone wasnt brought up until the early to mid 1900s. The people’s dependence and underlying trust within the government to withhold and protect has put our society on a roller coaster οf trust, distrust, and betrayal. “It is a war against all nations. American ships have been sunk. American lives taken, in ways which it has stirred us very deeply to learn of, but the ships and the people οf other neutral and friendly nations have been sunk and overwhelmed in the waters in the same way.” (Merrill 37) Busch had decided not to respond to much οf the conflicts happening with Gorbachev, because if he had, it could have created greater instability, more violence, and a stronger likelihood οf counter democratic action, such as the Soviet Union. Busch in causing the two-superpower leaders to arrive at a new arms control treaty that promised the reduction οf nuclear weapons arsenals οf the world. Buschs only major error was quickly recovered by quickly becoming Yaltsins allies, beginning a new coalition where both world powers would enforce world peace. After "Desert Storm," the US entered a prolonged recession causing confusion amongst Americans because Busch didnt care about domestic policies. Because οf Buschs carelessness οf domestic policies, it reflected upon the public not caring about domestic policies nor within the government. The new young light in America was created by the new elections. Clinton bringing a new young light to society during the election οf 1992 believed that through the idealism during the sixties were those which should be reflected upon now during the 90s. Clintons ideas were: investing to create new jobs, supporting new technology, rebuilding the nations infrastructure, and creating a new partnership between management and labor to increase American productivity and competitiveness in world markets. The major political campaigns were advancing with technological advances with campaigns portrayed through the amazing new power οf talk-show journalism. Ross Perots ideals, opposite οf Clintons, were expressed through talk-show journalism shaping political dialogue and activity. Many talk show hosts provided a direct outlet for politicians to reach the Americans at home through television. The political wars went on and with Clinton winning the democratic election. This allowed Americans to dig themselves out οf their deepest problems by re-imagining themselves and fulfilling their dreams. Clinton was faced with issues similar to Franklin Roosevelt, In the midst οf the Great Depression, they were in many ways far more complicated and intractable, calling upon the same breadth and depth οf leadership skills that FDR had deployed in the 1930s. What excites people about Clinton, is precisely the degree to which he speaks to their hunger for meaning and purpose, their half conscious and often inchoate desire to transcend the selfishness and meaningless οf materialistic and narcissistic society. Clintons gay policy in the war, "dont ask, dont tell," were looked at as actions profoundly alienating liberals and gays. His next policy, national Healthcare, failed to the Republicans criticizing and ultimately causing his policy to disintegrate. This was Clintons down and thought it was over until the American society regained confidence with him when he passed a bill which caused restrictions on free access to handguns and assault weapons. He also created the Americorps, a young group οf people volunteering to work among Americas disadvantaged populations. Finally touching up on domestic policies, the American society gained faith in him. The 1994 elections were different and Clinton was on his way to coming back. He wanted to represent a Democratic smaller government. Richard Norris guiding Clinton, made him invulnerable to the issues οf high taxes, crime, welfare, federal budget, and affirmative action which Republicans could use against him. Clinton defined positions that would seem reasonable to the middle-class voters and also portray the Republicans as radicals seeking to overturn 60 years οf progress and advance his own agenda on issues that cut in his direction such as education, the environment, and womens rights. Clinton proved to the public that the Republicans mainly Dole was a threat to the middle class stability, and eventually won the election exclaiming, the era οf big government is over. The voters decision was for a divided government, not for one party over another. Only by ensuring that one party could balance and counter the other, they seemed to be saying, could the nation be protected from moving too far either toward liberalism and big government on the one hand, or toward conservatism and the end οf entitlements on the other. Americans wanted politicians to proceed down a middle path, not straying to either side too far. Although race had been dealt with by the government, it still defined power, control, status, economic opportunity, and freedom. This issue has improved dramatically, but race has always been "the central theme" to American history. It has been so much misconstrued, "that the issue οf racial discrimination had disappeared as a matter οf public concern, convinced that there was no longer a reason to think οf blacks and whites as having different life chances. Los Angeles embodied most οf the multiracial demographic complexity which is where many blacks were suppressed although given still given supposed equal rights opportunities. One example being the AIDS virus. Treatment was available to the suppressed society, but werent able to afford the medication. The Rodney King incident was appalling and the only way to describe the verdict was what Chafe wrote, "It was as though the jury had taken a hallucinogenic drug that altered totally what others saw as reality - and the drug was race. The police officers caught on tape for the beating got off because οf whites ruling the jury. O.J. being convicted οf murder and having a black jury was pleaded not guilty. Benjamin Barber brings up a point οf political futures neither being democratic. September 11 brought forth something America had never faced before, an attack on our home ground. Since this attack the society has been more conservative, realizing that America is not this leadership nation that watches over the world, but is just as susceptible to attack as anyone else is. This attack has brought all families closer and brought out American patriotism from within. The attack has put American flags on Football players helmets as well as all sports jerseys. What are we supposed to believe from the media, articles saying that information being portrayed to us is false and defying. Although we have gone through a roller coaster οf events both ups and downs, America has always recovered and adapted to the changes in front οf us. The 90s was a major turning point in America being the end οf the old millennium and the start οf a new one, allowing us to look at what is needed to be done both in domestic and foreign policy for this world and our society to go on. The 1990s embodied a summing-up οf what had occurred in the preceding decades, as if the country were searching to find some way through the maelstrom οf conflicting currents to a final sense οf direction that might represent a new consensus on how to proceed. Read More