The United States as a World Power - Essay Example

To Insightfully Think Of Things Part One With actions that started during the mid-nineteenth century, the United s maintained a path through the decisions made, which lead to a continued progression towards the status of being a world power. Like other national powers that have come before it in history that have achieved such power through imperialistic practices, key portions of the history of the United States are made up of policy decision making practices that fell within the notion of being an imperialist nation. The practice of acquiring land and prestige through the practice of armed conflict. With the national, as well as the international foreign policy implications of recent years, the United States had solidified, if not expanded, the rate at which other nations consider it to be a formidable world power as it comes to international affairs. With the increase in power for which a nation holds comes greater implications for the decisions and circumstances that it is inevitably faced with to whatever scale in which it faces them. Part Two As there are those leaders who have tended towards imperialist views that have found them engaging in deeper conflict internationally, there have been those, in particular Woodrow Wilson, who have tended towards mending issues that are within the national borders. With the case of Wilson, he would do just that but also take an interest in the issues pertaining to both the Caribbean, as well as Mexico. Some leaders, when they are placed in power, tend towards the notion of concentration on domestic issues as a means of shoring up the interests which it may hold as a national player. Especially in the years since 9/11, many levels of US policy have had a deep concentration in the international goings on of the Middle East. The “War on Terror” has taken a considerable prominence in the minds of world leaders as they seek to fight an enemy on an international scale for a crime which was inflicted on American soil. Instead of being a national leader that made policy decisions that were imperialist in nature, Wilsons ideological practices would be in fact more in line with anti-imperialism thoughts and actions. In laymans terms, an imperialist leader is that who wishes to command and conquer that which he has the chance to when given the opportunity. During the time directly before the election of Woodrow Wilson, American would see itself involved in a conflict for wish they did not want to be involved it. Taking it to present day, the current military operation in the Middle East, or operation Iraqi Freedom, is an operation for which there has been substantial discord amongst the citizenry as to if there should be any involvement in the crisis to begin with. In the case of Wilson, “Between 1914 and the April 1917 U.S. entry into the war, Americans pressed their government to stay out of hostilities, effectively enough for President Woodrow Wilsons 1916 campaign slogan to be “He Kept Us Out of the War.” Senator Robert LaFollette, House of Representatives Majority Leader Claude Kitchin, William Jennings Bryan, and activists such as Jane Addams, Lilian Wald, Oswald Garrison Villard of The Nation and others invoked American antimilitarist traditions to oppose entry in the war, contending that intervention would dampen reform at home provoke a curtaining of civil liberties and increase political repression, lead to war profiteering by big business, and otherwise sully American values. One group, the American Union Against Militarism, even had a mascot, a dinosaur named “Jingo” with the motto “All Armor Plate-No Brains,” (“Anti-Imperialism”, p.1) Part Three With an increased sense of economic prosperity comes the tendency to want to spend more. With such spending comes the choice amongst a great many people to do such spending, to whatever degree they individually choose to do so, through means of credit. Increased spending in many ways works towards the advancement of overall national economy and the growth of jobs through means of the increasing need in industries such as manufacturing. With low unemployment comes a sense of security that gives way to feelings secure about ones economic future. Historically speaking, the economy has seen instances of great prosperity, that in the end have transitioned into periods of economic strife and slowdown. With such previous indicators, it can be said that the US had experienced such growth periods with its economy, has transitioned into periods of slowdown, but have come away from the down periods and rebounded back to their once prosperous state. Part Four Over the years, nations have seen a great many changes throughout the time in which they existed. They have seen periods of growth, as well as periods of less than stellar performance as it comes to their economic state. They have seen foreign policy decisions made by those who, on the one hand wish to be more central in their thinking and concentrate more on issues that lay within their national borders. There have been other leaders, especially within the present state of affairs, that have wished to extend their policy thinking to that which falls in the category of international thinking and problem solving. The quality of American life is in many ways can be in direct correlation to the events which occur around it. During times of national economic strength in the markets people are able to feel a sense of security that enables them to feel secure in the sense of putting more money into the broader market which they may not have done in a less solvent environment. With the current state of economic fairs for which the U.S. is currently involved in, these events are paving the way for an economic experience not unlike that which was seen during the 1920s in which citizens saw 8 years of solid prosperity, leading up to the historical and monumental crash of the stock market which would occur in 1929. A crash which would have substantial effects, but one which would be recovered from in the long run. In consideration of the hope as it comes to keeping more money in the pockets of citizens in the hopes of building a stronger economy, there appears to be some hope on the horizon for those currently feeling the pinch by the lackluster economic state. “Wall Street found some reasons for optimism Monday when the credit markets showed signs of easing and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared to open the door for further interest rate cuts. Bernanke, saying the countrys economic weakness could last for some time, also threw his weight behind a fresh round of government stimulus. Stocks surged as investors interpreted some of his remarks as a hint the central bank would lower rates again soon,” (Aversa, 10/20/08). Throughout the course of economic history, the market has tended to rally behind the notion of freeing up however much cash it can in order to place it back into the hands of those who will spend it. That way, their new spending will create new and stronger business, all the while working to shore up the ailing economy in the process. More directly Chairman Bernanke is quoted as saying, “With the economy likely to be weak for several quarters, and with some risk of a protracted slowdown, consideration of a fiscal package by the Congress at this juncture seems appropriate,” (Aversa, 10/20/08). As the current head of the Federal Reserve says, some form of financial package is an important step to economic recovery. For those who feed into the economy through means of spending by way of credit, any form of interest rate cut would serve as a positive step towards freeing up the money which would be spent on interest, thus putting it towards the spending on other necessities and creating more capital for many. Just as it did in the 20s, the stock market is enveloped in a valley of performance after ascending downward from its highest peak level of performance. History has been filled with many events and key players that have served an important part in the greater picture of national security, international participation and ultimately, worked on the crucial issue of helping to ensure the stability to the national economy. Seeking to find ways in which the United States can shore up its continued part as being a national super power, the decisions for which is makes that influence whether they partake in either imperialist, or anti-imperialist policy decisions. From the choices in history that lead to the acquisition of land, to the current decisions being made to shore up the economic crisis presently being seen, but also seen during the 1920s, events of the past forever to hold a great level of impact on the decisions made to impact that which presently occurs. Events of both eras forever being inextricably linked as the years go by and are forever linked in their similarities. Essentially, forming and influencing that which happens both then, as well as now. Works Cited Aversa, Jeannine. “Bernanke hints at rate cut; Wall Street Surges.” AP Economics Writer. Published: 20 October 2008. Accessed: 20 October 2008. URL: http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/kmsb20081020jc-bernake-hints-rate-cut- wallstreet.12fe52427.html Buzzanco, Robert. “Anti-Imperialism.” Published: Encyclopedia or American Foreign Policy. Location: University of Houston. Houston, Texas, USA. Date Accessed: 22 October 2008. URL: http://vi.uh.edu/pages/buzzmat/antiimp.html Read More