American Foreign Policy - Research Paper Example

AMERICAN FOREIGN POLLICY AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY INTRODUCTION The United s has been a world power for a long time having control over important issues that affect the whole world. In the recent past it has however been faced by a trail of challenges as it tries to maintain its dominance and power over the other nations around the world. The United states has a an undoubted advantage in terms of its well equipped and trained military, it is a giant in the field of technology and so its economic muscle has been good sustaining its power and dominance over other countries. The question of maintaining the US dominance chips in from the continued good run seen in the past century. It is increasingly difficult nowadays to maintain world power as it has proven to US president Barrack Obama in his tenure in the White House (Hook 2011). The whole world had been hit by the economic constrains and US being no exception it also had its problems. It has therefore become increasingly difficult to maintain the army and the rising cost of living in the US (Hook 2011). The Obama administration has dealt with many challenges while trying to accomplish one of its promises to improve on the American Foreign policy. The healthcare debate has been among the domestic debates that have really proven to be a headache to his administration. The American Foreign policy has been criticized for being self centered as it is considered to have emanated from an injured colonial history. The US foreign policy is made by domestic groups which are not considered very right and also due to the possibility of manipulation from the donors it has called for serious screening of the policy (Hook 2011). The US foreign policy actions therefore remain at a risk of being constrained by the media and other groups which have the power in the US.1 This paper will address the policy in details. THE PARADOX OF THE US FOREIGN POLICY AND POWER The past century has seen America rise from being a regional to a world power due to its success in various fields especially in technology. The country was kept safe from global conflicts by the previous presidents who tried to practice global social exception of the Americans. This was the cause of the current problems in global and foreign relations as experienced in America today. US former president James Monroe in 1923 established the Monroe doctrine whose main aim was to separate the United States from Europe. Monroe further declared the European dominance and colonization of the countries in the West a threat to the US national security and vowed to ensure that little interaction would be allowed between the US and the European countries (Hook 2011). The conduct of the US policy in the second phase after the initial years of the 20th century is marred by a number of occurrences which include the US colonization of the Philippines and the growing influence in Central America. The period of the cold war between the US and the Soviet Union served to further destroy the Foreign policy. The period of the cold war ended with the onset of the war against terrorism with America being on the forefront to curb the terrorism activities (Hook 2011). However, America was not spared with a number of strikes which include the September, 2001 attack. The war against terrorism has been identified by a number of activities which have helped to outline US allies and foes in relation to the countries’ support to America’s action or them being against them. America’s activity in restoring democracy in Afghanistan was viewed by many countries as a good act to curb terrorism while others saw it as a step too far and intruding into the affairs of other countries. This can also be seen by its activity in ousting Iraq president Saddam Hussein and his execution. This has had a serious effect on the foreign policy of the country. The US institutions have evolved over the years and their part in defining the US Foreign Policy. Foreign policies are hard to change and so the institutions have been reluctant in making any clear changes to accommodate the new ideas in the whole concept (Hook. The US government also plays a major role n defining the foreign policies set by the institutions and following them. The Dynamics of the Stakeholders in Policy Making It is very hard to establish a unitary foreign policy. Government institutions and agencies are the ones responsible for the changes to the foreign policy. The pressure of making the policies and following them is manifested both inside and outside the government with institutions and the media playing a major role in the policing. In understanding the policy making process it is good to identify the roles played by each of the stakeholders and how they affect the whole process (Taylor & Francis 2014). The United States has been in conflict with the outside world on a number of issues. Take for example the Kyoto protocol which was proposed to manage the emission of greenhouse gases which have been a major crisis to the environment. US has been on logger heads with countries like China and India which have not complied with the rules set. The US foreign policy has been seen as a mock to the global human rights. Despite US being on the forefront to advocate for justice and democracy it failed to be part of the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in the Hague Netherlands which was supposed to be a supreme court that would handle the injustices towards humanity (McCormick 2014). US was concerned because of the accusations made against it of human rights abuses against the Iraqis and Afghanistan in its war to regain democracy which culminated into a fierce battle and the death of many innocent citizens (Hook 2011). The ICC has proven to be a hard nut to crack for the US foreign policy and its involvement in the conflict with other nations. With such issues arising it is highly questioned whether the US will be able to maintain its dominance over other countries (Taylor & Francis 2014). FORCES THAT SEEK TO INFLUENCE US FOREIGN POLICY Internal and external forces have come up to mould and change the US foreign policy. The election of Barrack Obama had served an important role in restring the tarnished American foreign policy. However some years down the line the same worries have been confirmed as nothing much has been changed (Hook 2011). The Obama regime had come into power with clearly cut goals in shaping the foreign policy. The anti-America backlash came into open following the 2001 terrorist attack which was a show of what other people thought of America’s involvement in the war in Middle East. International politics help to shape the foreign policy and how a country is perceived due to its actions (Hook 2011). Obama had come ready armed to address the issue by ensuring there was a greater regard for diplomacy in his administration, promoting multilateral cooperation with other countries and improving on the international law. THE IMPACT OF MASS COMMUNICATION The media holds a vital responsibility and power in defining and manipulating the public opinion. The Vietnam War and the September 2001 attack made a significant change on how the media broadcasted the news on foreign policy to the public (McCormick 2014). Due to the news on foreign policy receiving reaction from the public, much caution has been observed to ensure that the least gets to the public. The media’s role in improving the US foreign policy has therefore been more complicating than helping with a solution. The role of the media in a normal democracy is to critique the actions of the government or institutions and broadcast unbiased information to the public to ensure improvement in the sector (Taylor & Francis 2014). The US media has failed in this. AREAS THAT AFFECT THE US FOREIGN POLICY TODAY There are three areas that really affect the US foreign policy. National security is the major factor and this affects how the media handles the issue. The media having the mandate to enlighten and inform the public is always cautious to avoid giving information that will pause as a threat to national security (Hook 2011). The second factor is the global economic relations and how the country interacts with others economically. US being a developed country, it has to pay much attention on its relations with other countries. Its foreign policy has played a role in the way its companies perform in the global market. Terrorists and criminal organizations pose a threat to the US security which has been a long term effect of the foreign policies of the country. CONCLUSION The US foreign policy determines how it interacts with other nations and it is the one that sets the standards for its organizations, corporations and the individual citizens. The stated goals of the foreign policy are;- ‘To build and sustain a more democratic, secure and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community’ The Foreign policies that are in place have played a major role in tarnishing of America’s face to the global community mainly due to its involvement in the Middle East and its war against terrorism. The effect of these actions can be seen in the trail of terrorist attacks including the September 2001 attack that claimed hundreds of lives. Bibliography Steven W. Hook, ‘U.S. Foreign Policy,’ the Paradox of World Power, CQ Press, 3rd Edition, 2008. Taylor and Francis, ‘American Foreign Policy Interests,’ The Journal of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Volume 36, 2014. James McCormick, ‘Cengage Advantage: American Foreign Policy and Process,’ 6th Edition, 2014. Read More