Role of the United States in International Affairs - Essay Example

Essay 4 The United s has been the most powerful nation during the last century. They were the winners of World War II and ever since the capitalist nation has built a tremendous empire due to its military dominance and economic resources. In the article American Idealism and Realpolitik the author Paul Johnson described the role of the United States in international affairs by supporting the actions of the US, while at the same time questioning some of the moral dilemmas of continuous American involvement in international conflicts and problems. The purpose of this essay is analyze the US military involvement in the international scene and alternative solutions to improve the relations with foreign nations. Despite the fact that World War II ended 77 years ago, there has been a lot of small wars and conflict occurring between countries in different parts of the world. In Africa, Asia, and South America the militia have lots of powers and many regions they rule the streets and governments simply stays away from its path. The United States is currently also in the middle of the war themselves called by President Bush which initiated the war after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the city of NY as the War on Terror. The United States and the Middle East are not the sole participants of this war. The war occurred as a collective effort between the United States and its allies in order to eradicate cowardly terrorist groups that break all rules of engagement by targeting the civil population with bombs and other explosive devices. The United States has the most powerful military body that utilize advance technology and superb intelligence in order to implement tactics that can impose its force on the enemy. Due to the respect countries in general have for the capabilities of the United States military force the nation has been able to impose a type of legitimate power in the negotiation table. Legitimate power refers to the extent in which a player can used the right of command to control other people. In reality the United States has utilized diplomacy advantage to abuse of its power on many occasions. When there are conflicts that can not be resolved by the main parties or there and general perception the situation merits a resolution due to social injustices everyone seems to call on the United States to step in and restore order. The United States at times prefers to stay away from these types of military interventions because these operations cost millions of dollars to taxpayers. The world has become accustomed to the US being the watchdog of all nations that is supposed to look out for the best interest of the international community. This perspective has caused the United States problems in the international community. Their excessive involvement in the internal affairs of many nations has deteriorated the image of the United States. Back in the 18th century the Europeans settlers were seen by the Indians as the almighty saviors whose advanced technology impressed the natives to the point of claiming they were gods. That military regime used its technology and knowledge superiority to enslave the natives. The US through the latter half of the 20th century and throughout the 21st century has played the role similar to European settlers as far as having undeniable military power which in comparison with other nation the rest of the world are natives. The US unlike its predecessor has been providing assistance throughout the world to promote peace and harmony among nations. Obviously the United States has taken advantage of its position to advance its economic interest. In the competitive global economy of the 21st century which is living through an economic cycle known as the broadband era is every lion for themselves. The United States has invested billions in its military, thus if treaties are made voluntarily that allow the US access to economic opportunities the United States is entitled to take advantage of them. Many nations are going into treaties and alliances voluntarily in principle, but the US always seem to obtain the greater benefit out of the relation. For example when the US sends a few billion dollars of medical and food supplies the country in exchange receive some of great value in the long such as a reduction in tariffs. There are ways in which the United States can improve its international relations with the world. Currently there are world problems that need immediate attention such as poverty and global warming. The United States could use its political influence to create a plan of attack that will find a final resolution to these problems by the year 2020. During the next decades these issues must be attended since it is everyone best interest for these things to be settled at once. The advanced logistics and military applications of the United States should be utilized further in the fight against war to eliminate heroin from the face of this earth. There are different ways in which the United could become a better provider of solutions for the international community. That vast amount of human capital the US processes could be exported to provide knowledge and assistance. If the United States were more flexible in its own immigration laws particularly as far as work visas, then more exchange of human talent would occur which would benefit workers of all nations. The rules of the game have changed. Unprecedented events such as the global financial crisis represent symbols of change in the tide of world events. The United States of America has implement changes to improve its foreign relations. Currently there are things that could be done internally to show a greater respect for the rights of others. An example of policy change of significance that would help the US relations with the entire South American continental region is to legalize all status of all foreign people that have able to enter nation without proper papers. They would all automatically become United States citizens. This move would provide the US real valuable data about the how inefficient the border patrol offices were at stopping the infiltration of human into the US terrain. The new US could be interviewed in anonymous manner to reveal the techniques they used to enter and survive economically as illegal immigrants. This type of information would help the US treasury better combat money laundering schemes which benefits every one since the more money the US governments hands the higher the funds available to improve the standard of living of domestic citizens and foreign people. There has some resentment across the world for the US presence due to belief in the global community that American always wants to have their hands on everything. Currently the Iraq invasion is causing a lot of friction in the international community due to the length of the conflict. It is believed that the hyperinflation in the petroleum prices between 2004 and 2008 which led to all time high of $147 barrel in the summer of 2008 was caused by the US led invasion of Iraq (Smh, 2008). Under the new regime of President Obama a sign of new foreign affairs solidarity would be an exit of all troops from Iraq by the summer of 2010. The United States can do so much more to help the world in areas such as human rights, economic development, education, heath care, infrastructure planning and development, agricultural growth, and genetic engineering among other areas. It is time for the world to stop fighting each other and start the creation of society in which all 6.6 billion citizens unite forces to form a single global society. Works Cited Page Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R. 2003. Organizational Behavior (8th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Smh.com. 12 July 2008. “Oil Prices Top $147 per barrel.” 6 May 2009. < http://news.smh.com.au/world/oil-prices-top-147-us-dollars-per-barrel-20080712-3dvb.html> Read More