Mission of United States - Essay Example

One of the first terms to observe, would be that of what's known as dollar diplomacy. The act of seeking to ensure the standing of a nation, through the utilization of monetary interests at home, as well as abroad. In recent years, many have sought to make the argument that, in the case of the United States, many jobs have been sold overseas as a means of ensuring stability between the American government and the rest of the international community. Such a practice would essentially be seen as the formation and continued maintenance of foreign policy, or diplomatic relations, through the strength of the monetary system of business.

In terms of US President William Howard Taft, his policy would be described by author Emily S. Rosenberg. According to her, "Taft's approach, which he called "dollar diplomacy," was based on the theory that the growth of private economic ties internationally would increase both the strategic position and the economic prosperity of the United States," (Rosenberg, p. 58). In more direct terms, the philosophy of this particular type of diplomatic practice would have been formed based upon the assessment that, in order to achieve both economic, as well as national security means, it would be imperative for the United States to orchestrate their diplomacy in such a manner.

Of the many leaders that would come to take command over the American public, one such individual would have been President Woodrow Wilson. There would remain those who, after viewing the historical record during the period of Wilson's era, would have felt that America would have taken less than a reactive response in regard to events transpiring in the world. According to author Walter A. McDougall, he would sum up the issue of Wilsonianism in the following manner, "Whether or not Wilsonianism was the message the world needed to hear after World War I, Woodrow Wilson was surely the wrong messenger-not because he was too religious, but because his religion was too personal, sanctimonious, gnostic," (McDougall, p. 145). The lasting effect of a chief executive's stance on the issues that come before them can be the underlying ingredients to the overall formation of their legacy.

In Wilson's case, "Many historians would say that he was vindicated, since Wilson's Liberal Internationalist tenets informed the foreign policies of every administration after him," (McDougall, p. 145). In the end, the 14 point plan created by Woodrow Wilson, would serve to shape the mission of the American society, in terms of how it viewed its role in political affairs both nationally, as well as overseas. For both Germany, as well as Japan, the events leading up to World War II and afterward, would be a decisive period for the United States, as it would come to approaching these two nations.

As far as their engagement with Japan, "The anomaly of attempting to make Japan "law abiding" in the Western mode by pursuing occupation policies unprecedented in international law was rationalized by the argument that World War II had been a catastrophe