Presentation: The US foreign policy §

Class: IS401 Created Time: January 20, 2022 4:03 PM Database: Class Notes Database Last Edited Time: January 20, 2022 11:26 PM Type: Reading Notes

The US foreign policy arenas: §

• Diplomacy
• Military and security policy (home and abroad)
• International human rights policy (leading democracy, human right advocacy)
• Economic policy (pressuring China)

Three key goals of the US foreign policy: §

• Security
• Economic prosperity
• Liberal international order (new institutions created by the US to influence in the new order, especially in dealing with the uncertainty with China)

Security

• new fighter jet development between the US and Japan
• Traditionally, concerned with dangers posed by hostile nations
  • Military and regime threats at home and abroad
• Today, threats posed by nonstate actors
  • Organized terrorist groups
• Physical and cyber security
  • Protection from attacks on US citizens/property, both domestic and abroad
  • Security extends beyond physical borders, military installations, embassies
  • Technology leads to new concerns about intelligence hacks, protecting power, grids, massive fraud/theft on public
• Most of the 19th cent. US FP strategy dominated by isolationism (supported by Republican that are nationalist)
  • rejecting any confrontations abroad
  • have to deal with domestic issue, such as economic and social issue
• WWW2, ended isolationism.
• Isolation was replaced by deterrence (cold war)
  • To develop and maintain military strength as means of discouraging attack
  • Preponderant that no enemy dare to engage
  • US vs USSR
• Preventive war (preemption): policy of striking first when a nation fears that a foreign foe is planning hostile action
  • US vs Iraq (9/11)
• Appeasement: effort to forestall war by giving in to the demands of a hostile power
  • e.g. Iran? Russia? China
  • “War is an evil. But it’s sometimes a lesser evil than a policy of appeasement” - Niall Ferguson, Historian at Harvard University

Economic Prosperity

• US int’l economic policies
  • Expanding domestic employment
  • Maintaining access to foreign natural resources at favorable costs
  • Promoting foreign investment in the US
  • Lowering prices that citizens pay for goods and services.
• US trade policy
  • US wants to promote exports and discourage imports
    • Tariffs: taxes on imports & trade deficit (US vs China)
  • Countries that reciprocate on low tariffs are granted most favored nation status
• World Trade
  • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
    • eliminated tariffs on imports btw US, Canada and Mexico
  • World Trade Organization
    • Promotes free trade and provides a dispute mechanism for members

Int’l Human Rights Policy

• International humanitarian policies
  • International environmental policies
  • International human rights policies
  • International peacekeeping
• These polices can range in priority depending on other security and trade issues associated with a given nation (e.g. China, Cambodia, Myanmar Coup)
• The US has been on the forefront of human rights issues and other nations (e.g. the West) often look to US to take leadership on HRs
• Humanitarian efforts include peacekeeping
  • sending troops to keep other nations from fighting on another
  • efforts to protect civilians from starvation, homelessness, and abuse
  • frequently joined by other nations in these efforts
  • humanitarian relief duriing natural disasters (funds, military, medical, logistical)

Who makes the US FP? §

• President dominated foreign policy matter
  • can directly set foreign policy strategies
  • Ambassador and military appointments
  • Relationships with foreign heads of state
• Congress has a role but is less influential
• Courts, interest groups, public opinion
  • e.g. highly charges issues like Iraq War

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1. Presidents can be tremendously influential
   1. Head of state
   2. ability of initiate treaties and agreements
   3. place senior officials who oversee bureaucracy
   4. have enormous resources available for policymaking
   5. constitutional authorities uniquely position the president for FP leadership

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1. Major governmental players in FP
   • Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury
   • Joint Chief of Staff (JCS)
   • Director of CIA
   • Director of National Security Council (NSC) (homeland security and international security)

• President appoints all of these positions.
  • Hence, foreign policy can easily reflect a president’s agenda (at least more readily than domestic policy)

1. Constitution: Congress has the power to declare war.
   • Has only done so five times: War of 1912, Mexican War 1846, Spanish American War 1898, WW1 (1917, WWII 1941 (japan attacked on pearl harbor)

• Congress controls funding for war
  • rarely refuses to fund military actions the president has initiated
  • politically very unpopular to vote against funds associated with American military troops at war

1. Interest groups
   • Economic interest groups
   • National origin groups
     • e.g. Jewish Americans with respet to Israel, Cuban Americans
   • Human rights groups (advocating for human rights policy)
2. Media
   • Negative media can lead to negative public opinion
   • Social media (e.g. Twitter, FB, Instagram)

• In times of foreign crisis:
  • The presidency is at its stronget
    • Congress not designed to act quickly
    • Media and public look to singular voice, leader on crisis matters

Modern US FP Instrument §

• Diplomacy: representation of a gov’t to other foreign gov’t
• Founding member of many regional and int’l organizations
  • E.g. UN, WTO, IMF, WB
  • American civilian jobs with the foreign service (state department) require extensive skill sets, and process is very selective
• Economic aid
  • America provides $30B a year to other countries
  • “Carrot” (positive incentive, benefits)
• Economic sanctions
  • “Stick” (negative incentive, penalties)
  • Trade embargoes, bans on investment, bans on travel, freezing of assets..
• Political and military intervention (preemption)

Who serves the US military? §

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• Collective security

  • an armed attack against any of its members “shall be considered as an attack against all

  • NATO and US security allies

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