American Foreign Policy - Essay Example

American Foreign Policy The dominant thrust of American foreign policy, which was established during the years of the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson, was the creation of a new world order based upon a core set of American ideals which were to be exported to the rest of the world. These ideals included liberalism or the protection of basic civil rights and freedom, democracy or people rule and free market capitalism. The foreign policy decisions and activities of the United States were therefore geared towards the accomplishment of these objectives and promoting American ideals and principles to the rest of the world. The policies of Woodrow Wilson were centered around the promotion of progressive American ideals and reforms. Liberalism was the belief in basic human rights such as the right to freedom of religion and free speech. The United States also promoted the system of democracy to ensure that vestiges of colonial rule were eliminated, in favor of political institutions that promoted active participation by the people in the formation and functioning of Governments. The development of the Truman doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as American leadership in the development of the United Nations and NATO are all means by which America has sought to enhance the levels of support it receives from other international countries for its democratic principles. During the first world war, President Woodrow Wilson opposed the German submarine warfare against commerce as a “war against all nations” and clearly articulated the objectives that must be sought to be attained – “our motive will not be revenge or the victorious assertion of the physical might of the nation, but only the vindication of right, of human right, of which we are only a single champion…”1 This clearly sets out the direction in which American foreign policy was to be headed; it was to focus upon the propagation of basic human rights across the world, since America was the sole champion of such rights and the progressive reforms taking place in the country were also to be echoed in foreign relations. When the preservation of such principles have entailed the United States entering into war, it has been adequate as a propellant, for instance during the first world war, when the motive behind entering the war was to resist German imperialism and to make the war a safer place for democracy to thrive. One example of implementation of American values and principles on civil rights may be noted in the representation of women in the new international organizations that emerged after the end of the first world war. All positions in these international organizations were officially opened to women, and found places especially in the civil section of the League Secretariat. As a result, despite the fact that the women’s voice rose to “no more than a whisper in the Assembly of Nations”, yet it was the export of American values that the presence of women was entertained in international organizations. The resistance of the US senate to Article X of the League Covenant which appeared to mandate US participation in enforcing democracy around the world, resulted in the League of Nations being established without U.S. participation, which impacted negatively upon American foreign policy. Yet, it was the propagation of American values that lay behind the formation of all international organizations and after the Second World War, American foreign policy interests have played a significant role in articulating the goals of these organizations. The predominantly agricultural economy that existed before the First World War yielded in the early part of the 20th century to a system of market economies. Analyzing American foreign policy from the perspective of the shift to a world dominated by the market economy, American strategy was geared towards the promotion of capitalism and the free market, based upon the belief that it was through the removal of trade barriers and the free exchange of goods that peace could be promoted in the world, since the prevailing belief was that nations which were gaining economic benefits from each other were less likely to go to war with each other. Free trade also promoted the free exchange of ideas and values among nations and was therefore actively promoted by the United States. America followed a foreign policy of containing Soviet expansion, through the restriction of communism and the promotion of capitalism. It was able to use the threat of communism and the eroding of the democratic free market as a tool to ensure that it gained the support of countries such as Germany and Japan and made them dependent on the United States, not only for economic assistance but also military support as afforded through the nuclear program of America2. By providing support to Germany and Japan, United States foreign policy has been geared towards enabling these countries to increase their production and pulling them firmly into the American corner against Russia. On the other hand, the difficulties in Chinese American foreign relations for example, have centered on the differing ideological systems of the two countries. Visits by American diplomats to Chinese cities therefore posed a dilemma. While the motivation for such visits was to “dramatize American interest in Chinese people as a whole”, it always opened up the possibility of such visits appearing as “peace making gesture[s], [and] unwarranted interference in China’s internal affairs”3 Chinese-American diplomatic relations have been strained due to these reasons, especially the lack of democratic rule in China. The threat of communism and the Cold War was a struggle for power between the Soviet Union and the United States; however American foreign policy which was geared towards emphasizing the evils of the Communist economic system and highlighting the benefits of the capitalistic systems, served to gather many countries into the American camp to maintain peace and order in the world. America therefore emerged as the world’s global banker and policeman, seeking to consolidate its position as the world’s hegemon by enforcing the rules of the global economic markets. While the Briand-Kellog peace pact helped to generate hopes of peace in the world, this was shattered through unjustified invasions of territories by countries seeking to strengthen their own nationalistic goals4 in the promotion of their economies, which resulted in America emerging as the world’s policeman. From an economic standpoint, America was in a strong position due to the strength of her economy and this was the basis for the emergence of American hegemony as the most effective means to organize global power and maintain a control over global equations. America became the enforcer of the rules of global economic tools such as the stock markets and banking operations, and the strength of the dollar reflects the strength of the American economy. American foreign policy during the IInd World war as evidenced in its relationship with Britain also demonstrates the objective of undermining Communism. The initial reservations in American policy towards Britain centered in the possibility that Britain might support Stalin’s policies, as a result of which American efforts while formulating the United Nations were geared towards erecting an “overarching structure that would permit America to remain aloof from Europe while retaining a decisive voice in the determination of its fate5.” America chose to use its strong position due to its late entry into the IInd World War to elicit these objectives. Churchill for instance, looked up to Roosevelt as an older man although he was actually junior by eight years and this was based on “the tacit acceptance of Roosevelt’s dominant position” in terms of his country’s resources and strengths.6 Britain has since provided strong support for American foreign policy moves internationally, especially since both these countries are members of the Security Council of the United Nations. The heavy duty responsibility of functioning in the role of global banker and policeman has strained American resources and produced budget deficits. American military weaknesses were first noted in the Vietnam war, where the Americans allegedly fought against “unmanly men”, yet the “inability of the United States to win in Vietnam caused great frustration”.7 American foreign policy has focused for far too long on maintaining a significant military presence which entailed considerable expenses, as well as trying to maintain its economic position in the global markets despite the presence of emerging economies such as Germany and Japan. In order to maintain its competitive edge in the global, it became necessary for America to cut down its military spending, and the deteriorating state of the American economy is only the reflection of the difficulties in balancing its military and economic budgets due to an overstretching of its responsibilities in the world. In conclusion, the propagation of American values of liberalism, democracy and the free market have been the motivating force behind American foreign policy, and this driving force of foreign policy still continues into the present. The onset of the technological age has only provided a more effective medium for America to continue to communicate and propagate these values throughout the world. Bibliography * McCormick, Thomas J. “The world- System, hegemony and decline” IN Merrill, Dennis and Paterson, Thomas, 1999. “Major Problems in American Foreign relations: Documents and Essays,” Houghton Mifflin. Read More