1. Summing Up US Foreign Policy
19 October 2017 by
Sigrid Brevik Wangsness

2. Who Decides US Foreign Policy?

3. Who Decides US Foreign Policy?
The President has several powers that make him the single most important figure in US foreign policy today, yet these powers are limited by Congress and the Supreme Court (and other important institutions and lobby groups).

4. Major Trends in US Foreign Policy
1. Expansionism (Comp.: pp )  18th and 19th centuries 2. Isolationism  The leading principle until WW II 3. Interventionism/ Internationalism  Esp. after WW II, but also earlier 4. Unilateralism  The USA acting on its own 5. Moralism vs. realism

5. Neutrality, Isolationism and Expansionism
1776:Independence. Neutrality in foreign affairs
The first century after Independence:
Avoidance of war with European powers:
“no entangling alliances”.
1823: The Monroe Doctrine (Comp.: pp )
“Manifest Destiny” (Comp.: p. 83)
Acquired the whole continent. Expansion into
Mexico in the 1840s.

6. Interventionism vs. Isolationism
1890s-1917: Intervention in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and several Latin American countries
(Comp.: pp )
Involved in WWI in 1917
Return to isolationism in the inter- war years:
The Senate rejected the League of Nations

7. The USA Involved in WWI in 1917

8. The USA Involved in WWII in 1941
Surprise military attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

9. Interventionism and Internationalism
Involved in WWII when attacked at Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941
Since WWII: No more isolationism
From 1945 to 1990: Cold War (Comp.: pp )
 fight communism all over the world
1947: The Truman Doctrine
The Marshall Plan

10. The Cold War Era,
1950s/60s: The Age of Containment (Comp.: p. 91)
Stop communist expansion (”red scare”)
1972: China recognized (Nixon) (Comp.: p. 92)
Better relations with the Soviet union
1970s/80s (post-Vietnam period ): Détente
Less tension/improved relations
(Comp.: p. 92)

11. The US–Soviet Relationship

12. The Cold War Era, 1946-1992 The Reagan era: US-USSR relations
From “evil empire” to disarmament treaties. Gorbachev. Super power negotiations over nuclear weapons (Comp.: p. 92)
US unilateral actions: Grenada, Nicaragua, Libya: The “world policeman” helping peoples threatened by anti- American regimes…

13. End of the Cold War 1989: The Fall of the Wall (Comp.: pp. 92-93)
1991:The Gulf War. Backed by the U.N.
The US and the USSR on the same side!
George Bush Sr.
Disintegration of the Soviet Union (1992)
The USA as the only superpower (Comp.: pp )

14. The Post-Cold War Era The Balkans:
1995: Diplomacy (Clinton) and NATO bombing to get a peace agreement in Bosnia.
1999: The Kosovo War. NATO.
Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined NATO despite Soviet opposition.

15. Clinton and the Balkans

16. Bill Clinton vs. George Bush
Clinton's world diplomacy in the Middle East, China, Africa, Russia, Northern Ireland.
Until Sept. 2001:
The new Bush Administration's foreign policy: Review its international commitments = refusal to sign many international treaties.
 Signs of a new isolationism

17. September 11, 2001

18. September 11, 2001 The USA’s global war on terrorism
9/ : Terrorist attacks on New York
and Washington D.C.
The USA’s global war on terrorism
(Comp.: pp )
Support by the UN and NATO
Oct. 2001: Bombing of Afghanistan to
take Bin Laden

19. Moralism vs. realism Origin of the USA: A refuge for all people,
a model of democracy, a sense of moral superiority, a unique mission
1917: “Make the world safe for democracy”
1947: The Marshall Plan: Humanitarian concerns, but also economic revival
2003: Like the Cold War, the Iraq War was seen
as a battle between democracy and tyranny, good and evil

20. Invasion of Iraq 2003: Invasion of Iraq – a national security issue?
No UN resolution
Antagonized many old allies, but support from the UK, Spain, Portugal
Massive public protests

21. The War on Terror To what extent did 9/11 change US foreign policy?
The Bush Doctrine: (Comp.: p. 96)
1. Unilateralism
2. Pre-emptive warfare
3. Preventative action/
preventive measures
4. Regime Change

22. The War on Terror The War against the Taliban
Why considered necessary?
The War against Iraq =
The “coalition of the willing”
Why so controversial?
(Comp.: pp )

23. Response to the War on Terror Reactions from Abroad
From sympathy to strong anti-Americanism:
Arrogance of power
Invasion of an independent nation (Iraq): lack of progress in the war
Deaths and destruction

24. Response to the War on Terror Reactions from Abroad
Credibility gap
1. Historical inconsistencies
2. Lack of trust: no WMD (Comp.: pp )
3. Assumed moral superiority vs. torture, breaking human rights (Guantanamo)

25. Response to the War on Terror Reactions from the American Public
George Bush’s loss of popularity: polarization
The costs of the Iraq war: both in human and material terms
The public misled?
To what extent has the war on terror been a success?

26. The Foreign Policy of President Obama and President Trump
What were some of the main issues President Obama had to deal with? (Comp.: p. 97)
Mr. Obama’s achievements and failures in foreign policy? (Comp.: pp )
Current US Foreign Policy? (Comp.: pp )