Contemporary Issues in Foreign Politics - Assignment Example

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN FOREIGN POLITICS Contemporary Issues in Foreign Politics QUESTION American exceptionalism: Americanexceptionalism refers to the unique characteristic of the United states of America that comes from the fact that it is a free nation that has its basis on personal liberty and democratic ideals.in some cases the unique character is brought about by the nature of the country’s political institutions that were formed during the period between 1778 and 1789. This period id characterized by the declaration of independence, which took place in the year 1776; the revolution that lasted between 1776 and 1783; and the constitution of the United States of America that came into existence in the year 1787. Nation security state: The Nation security state refers to the institutions and ideology that resulted from the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.The institutions being referred to in this case are the Department of Defense and the CIA. This is believed to be part of the then president of the United States of America. It is aimed at supporting free people from any form of oppression by armed minorities or external pressure that might cause danger to their security. The bush doctrine: The bush doctrine refers to a number of related foreign policy principles that were used by George W. Bush during his time as the president of the United States of America. The term “The bush doctrine” was first used by Charles Krauthammer in reference to the incident when president Bush’ administration withdrew from the ABM treaty leading to the rejection of the Kyoto protocol (Maszka, 2008). After the September 11th bombing the term was used in reference to the right that the US had to protect itself from that collaborated with terrorist groups. Imperial Presidency: The term imperial presidency was coined by the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. It refers, in short, to gradual accumulation of presidential making the president in effect, to have king like powers thereby granting him the liberty to go into war without the proper mechanisms intended by the founding fathers of the USA. Many believe that the imperial presidency came about with the increase in the president’s staff. In comparison, Nixon had about ten times as much staff as Kennedy (Schlesinger, 2004). The increase in the number of staff means a lot of the duties of the president’s duties are carried out by his staff, thereby absolving him from responsibility. The Pottery Barn Rule: This is a reference to Gen. Colin Powell instructing Bush with the famous quote “You take it down, you own it”. The phrase refers to the ‘takeover of Iraq by American forces with Powell clarifying it as: “You will own 25 million people, together with their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations and their problems” (Walker & Malici, 2011). The Messianic Vision: According to the popular German philosopher Friedrich Hegel, the state he referred to, as God walking on earth. American policy is inclined on setting up a democratic world, and more so believes it is God’s work it is doing. This idolization of the state is evident in the writings of many philosophers, some long forgotten and others, like Marx, still fresh in our heads. Containment in foreign Policy: This is a phrase referring to the policies put in place by the USA to prevent the spread of communism abroad. It was first described by George Kennan’s long telegram describing the Soviet power as scattered and dangerous, and claiming it must be contained (Miscamble, 1992). The post war consensus: It refers to the period after World War 2 to the election of Margaret Thatcher as the Prime Minister in 1979 (Brivati, Buxton & Seldon, 1996). It says that there was a public policy agreement in various sectors such as collectivism, a mixed economy and welfare state. The Carter Doctrine: Proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in his state of the union address, it refers to his strong intention to defend the interests of the United States and his will to use military force where necessary in the Persian Gulf (Beisner & Hanson, 2003). This was intended to deter the Soviet Union from seeking hegemony in the Persian Gulf. Demand side Vs Supply side Policies: These are both based on a strong belief in markets. Both suggest that markets are the rational allocators of resources and rewards, but the area of difference is the engine of that market (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011). Soft Power: Soft power, a term coined by Joseph Nye of Harvard University refers to the ability to use fair means as a means of persuasion rather than coercing one into agreement. The term has been used in swaying public opinion through various channels by political and non-political organizations alike (Nye, 2004). Temporary Workers: This refers to the workers who are employed for an agreed duration of time with the employer. Temporary workers may or may not enjoy the benefits of full time employment. Tipping Point: Refers to that moment when an idea, trend or something reaches a threshold, trips and spreads as a wildfire would. Malcolm Gladwell explains in his book that just as a sick person can spread an epidemic, so an idea can be fashioned to spread to a wide audience and catch on. Informal Empire: This refers to the spheres of influence a country or nation may develop. These boundaries do not necessarily fall under the country’s formal colony. Reconditions: This refers to the set prerequisites before a certain condition is met. For example, policies and actions by states may be prompted by the fulfillment of set rules which can be called preconditions. QUESTION 2 The term foreign policy can simply be defined as a nation’s foreign goals and the means it puts in place to achieve those goals. Foreign policy makers follow five steps which guide foreign policy making: These include agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation. The procedure is as follows: Foreign policies are set up and debated, the best of these policies is adopted, the appropriate government agency then enacts the policy and afterwards it is assessed to determine its success rate. Foreign policy making unlike domestic policy usually involves less people and less publicity. In the United States, the president serves as the chief diplomat and is charged with the task of running American Foreign policy. The tools he uses to conduct foreign policy are: a) Diplomacy b) Foreign Aid c) Military Force States use military force to accomplish their foreign policy objectives. Almost invariably, it is used by the stronger states to intimidate the weaker states so as to achieve their goals. This practice is sometimes called Finlandization. In the final days of world war two, a peace treaty between Finland and the Soviet Union gave the Soviets nearly much of what they wanted in turn making Finland a puppet to the interests of the Soviet Union. Militaries can also be used by states as a form of deterrence. This ensures that that the other state does not pursue what it had planned on pursuing. A good example is the United States relying on its nuclear weapons to deter the Soviet Union from invading Western Europe (Rosati & Scott, 2014). Question 3: John Lewis Gaddis argues that the Cold War was a period of long peace. This assertion can be true because there was no war that involved the super powers for a very long period of time. Despite the fact that the super powers, the USA and the USSR were not in good terms during this period, there were no military involvements during this period. The super powers did no cooperate in any form of activity (Lynn-Jones, 1993). However, the fact that there was no war during this period can be used to prove that the period was indeed a peaceful because there are many developments that were experienced during this period. These developments could not have been experienced if the countries were involved in military wars. Question 4: On May 21, 2009 President Obama and former Vice –President Cheney engaged in what Washington Post referred to as "dueling speeches" on the theme of national security .The two individuals appeared to be giving completely different views regarding the security of the country and the fight against terrorism.President Obama asserted that his government was committed to bringing an end to inhuman torture that is always subjected to terrorism suspects. He also asserted that his government was for the idea that the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba should be closed. In his speech, President Obama asserted that the “mess” that his government was currently dealing with was left behind by his predecessor’s administration. The main point in Obama’s speech was the Bush’s administration had made the country look like monsters by taking security measures that endangered the lives of innocent people and subjected human being to inhumane treatments. In the speech, Obama aims at convincing American citizens that strict adherence to the rule of law and civil liberty can be effectively used in fighting the country’s enemies. While president Obama asserted that his administration was committed to bringing an end to interrogation methods that were dimmed by humanitarians to be inhuman, former Vice –President Cheney believed that President Bush’s administration had attained allot by the showing zero-tolerance to terrorists and terrorism. Cheney asserts that despite the fact that the harsh interrogation tactics and detentions used during the regime had been highly criticized, they had setting a record in national security during the period in question. Cheney pointed that the tactics and policies that were used during president bush’s regime should be assessed for effectiveness, and if the assessment proves that they were effective then they should be used even in the current regime. Cheney also says that the September 11th attack cannot be used to prove that the national security tactics and policies that were used during the period were ineffective. He believes that the nature of the attack shows that it was a result of proper coordination and planning, thus could not be blamed on the country’s military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cheney argues that the policies adopted by president Obama’s administration have made the country weak and unable to curb the effect of a terrorism group such as al Qaeda. He points out that enhanced interrogation techniques were effective in communicating the country’s non-tolerance to terrorism. References Beisner, R. L., & Hanson, K. W. (2003). American foreign relations since 1600: A guide to the literature. Santa Barbara (Calif.: ABC Clio. Brivati, B., Buxton, J., & Seldon, A. (1996). The contemporary history handbook. Manchester [England: Manchester University Press. Lynn-Jones, S. M. (1993). The cold war and after: Prospects for peace. Cambridge, Mass. u.a: MIT Press. Maszka, J. (2008). Terrorism and the Bush doctrine. Baltimore: PublishAmerica. Miscamble, W. D. (1992). George F. Kennan and the making of american foreign policy, 1947-1950. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. New York: Public Affairs. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2011). Demand-side innovation policies. Paris: OECD. Rosati, J. A., & Scott, J. M. (2014). The politics of United States foreign policy. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Schlesinger, A. M. (2004). The imperial presidency. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Walker, S. G., & Malici, A. (2011). U.S. presidents and foreign policy mistakes. Stanford, California: Stanford Security Series. Read More