FOREIGN AND MILITARY POLICY American Government: WE ARE NOT ALONE

In this unit we will cover…  The Roots of American Foreign and Military Policy  U.S. policy during and after the Cold War  The role of the president in foreign policy  The ways that Congress influences foreign policy  The challenges that the U.S. faces in the 21st Century  The ways foreign policy is enacted  The connection between economic policy and foreign policy

 The Constitution lays out the institutional framework for foreign and defense policy.  Foreign policymaking power is clearly a federal power, not a power of the states.  The Framers intended to divide responsibility for foreign affairs between the president and Congress.

 In the 1820s Latin American countries began to declare their independence from European colonial powers.  The U.S. under President James Monroe announced that any attempt to re-extend political control over Latin America would be met with force.

 World War I broke out in Europe in  The U.S. tried to remain neutral but was eventually forced into the war by the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.  Over 5 million Americans served in WWI.  Following the war the U.S. and most other countries returned to a policies of high tariffs and isolationism.

 The Great Depression and Adolf Hitler shook the U.S. out of its isolation and back onto the world stage.  In 1939, WWII began. The United States soon found that its strategy of isolationism, unilateralism, and strict neutrality failed to make the country secure and keep it out of war.  In December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Germany declared war on the U.S.

 Learning from the lessons of isolationism and trade wars following WWI the allies took an internationalist approach following WWII.  Before the end of WWII, FDR, Churchill, and the allies created the United Nations to promote security of member nations and promote economic prosperity around the globe.  The five great powers – U.S., Soviet Union, China, France, and Great Britain – were seated on the Security Council.

 At the end of WWII, Joseph Stalin, leader of the USSR, encouraged the spread of communism through eastern and central Europe and into the Balkans.  President Truman responded with the Truman Doctrine to contain the expansion of communism.  This was the beginning of a bipartisan consensus in foreign affairs to resist communism and oppose the Soviet Union that lasted until the late 1980s.

 Following WWII, international institutions were established to solve global economic problems.  The common view at the Bretton Woods meeting was that the depression of the 1930s and the rise of fascism could be traced to the collapse of international trade and isolationist foreign policies.  The Marshall Plan was enacted to aid the recovery of war torn European nations.  At Bretton Woods the World Bank and IMF were established.

 Congress has the power to declare war and to appropriate funds.  The Senate has the power to confirm ambassadors and to ratify treaties.  The Supreme Court has the power to interpret treaties.

 The United States is the world’s greatest superpower.  The US president is the most powerful foreign policymaker and world leader.  This reality would have shocked the Founding Fathers.

 Since George Washington, the president has been preeminent in foreign affairs and has gotten even more powerful in recent years.  Alexander Hamilton argued for presidential supremacy in foreign relations because foreign policy was different than domestic policy in several ways.  It requires – accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the world – a steady and systematic adherence to the same view – a uniform sensibility to the national character – decision, secrecy, and dispatch

President is Commander in Chief of Armed Forces and Chief Diplomat. These agencies are at his disposal:  State Department  National Security Council  Foreign Service  Department of Defense  Central Intelligence Agency

 Congress has some constitutional powers (advice and consent) in foreign relations and sometimes seeks to assert them.  Congress primarily exercises its oversight powers to hold the president accountable for his/her foreign policy.

The Constitution grants the president the power to commit to legally binding international commitments. 1. Treaties-binding contracts with foreign nations 2. Executive Agreements- international agreements brokered between the president and the leader of another country

 In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers Act to limit the president’s authority to introduce American troops into hostile situations.  All presidents since Nixon insist that this Act is unconstitutional and have ignored all or parts of the act.  The Act limits presidential deployment of troops to 60 days without a congressional vote. The period could be extended 30 days to allow for withdrawal of troops. The president would be allowed to respond to an emergency but not wage a war without Congressional approval.  In reality, this Act has not hindered presidents at all.

 Americans are mostly indifferent to questions of foreign policy  Public opinion, special interests, international organizations, and foreign countries influence foreign policy and national security issues.

Americans may think differently than foreign policy advisors:  Favor global activism but oppose aid to other nations  Favor peace through strength but are wary of international organizations  Fear nuclear weapons and support arms agreements  Oppose the use of force abroad and yet support presidents when they chose force  Worry about free trade and yet are willing to open the US to broader involvement in the political economy

 Promoting Democracy  Promoting Prosperity  Enhancing Security

 Conventional diplomacy, foreign aid, economic sanctions, and military intervention abroad serve to protect American interests and promote national security.

 Fulfilling a commitment to preserve a peaceful world  Promoting democratic values  Protecting nations from aggression  Encouraging market-oriented economies and free trade  Safeguarding the global environment  Advancing international cooperation

 Democracy and capitalism go hand in hand as they both promote freedom.  With technology, trade extends beyond our borders most of the time.  International trade affects everyone everywhere.  The global economy deeply affects national security and foreign policy.  Recently, industrial espionage and cyber attacks the most powerful form of spying.

Working from your strength: Nations in the Global Economy may self-select to trade their resources, goods, or services, based on their comparative advantage. Although achieving wealth is easier in a well-functioning economy, this leaves nations that have chosen to specialize vulnerable at times of national or global economic crisis.

 Making foreign policy decisions requires balancing competing or contradictory foreign policy goals.  Virginia and United States businesses have become multinational in their quest for resources, markets, and profits.  International trade provides Virginia and the United States with goods and services for which they do not possess absolute or comparative advantage.  Virginia and the United States benefit when they produce goods and services for which they have a comparative advantage, and trade for other items.

 Trading with China  Curtailing human rights abuses  Controlling nuclear and biological arms  Determining the future of NATO  Curbing drug traffic  Improving global environment

 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): A free-trade zone of Canada, Mexico, and the United States intended to eliminate trade barriers, promote fair competition, and increase investment opportunities  World Trade Organization (WTO): Established in Its role is administering trade agreements, handling disputes, and providing a venue for negotiating among its member nations.