Rise to Globalism is a fascinating summary of America's foreign policy from World War II to the Gulf War. Stephen E. Ambrose, earned his history Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and he is a very talented author. Rise to Globalism was published by Penguin Books Inc. in 1993 in New York. The book gives the readers an idea of why America and the rest of the world were communicating, ordered in consecutive order and by U.S. presidents. In this novel, Stephen E. Ambrose and Douglas G. Brinkley covered an extensive topic in a fairly short book. Ambrose and Brinkley discuss some topics more thoroughly than others. For example, the authors go into great depth about the wars in Vietnam and Korea, but slightly touches on some topics, like the attack on Pearl Harbor and how that effected the war in the Pacific. The goal of the book was to summarize American foreign policy and its growth throughout the 20th century. Luckily, they achieve this accomplishment in a book that reads more like a novel than a textbook. Ambrose and Brinkley systematized the first ration of the book, which enclosed America's participation in World War II, each chapter got its own specific topic on the war. For the rest of the book, each chapter labels a detailed United States president and their offerings or struggles. The first chapter of the book describes the situations in Europe, and the issues that led America to join the war. For instance, these included Britain's requests for help, the fall of France and Japan's violence against America at Pearl Harbor. Once America finally got involved in the war, they involved Axis troops in Northern Africa and Italy and released a second front in France by attacking at Normandy. After Germany was defeated, America sl... ... middle of paper ... ...hough not too great for the modifications and informs to contain George W. Bush. If a person has little knowledge of the American Foreign Policy, this book is a great way to learn quickly in a short book and get a brief summary of what it was all about. In conclusion, this extensive review of American foreign policy is just very broad. This topic is his shortened summary of a broad topic in a narrative arrangement, if they contributed anything to the historical understanding of this book. Ambrose and Brinkley made the topic very fascinating and easier to comprehend than a plain textbook. By writing Rise to Globalism and narrating stories without including unnecessary truths and statistics. Thanks to this book, I gained a more thorough understanding of the struggles in the Middle East after Vietnam and a new perception on where American presently stands in the world.
Steven Hook and John Spanier's 2012 book titled “American foreign policy since WWII" serves as one of the most important texts that can be used in understanding the underlying complexities on American foreign policies. Like the first readings that are analyzed in class (American Diplomacy by George Kennan and Surprise, Security, and the American Experience by John Lewis Gaddis), this text also brings history into a more understandable context. Aside from being informative and concise in its historical approach, Hook and Spanier also critiques the several flaws and perspectives that occurred in the American foreign policy history since World War II.
It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, “The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan.
Nash, Gary and Julie Jeffrey. "Foreign Policy in a Global Age." The American People Volume Two: Since 1865. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. 743-744. Print.
It is the intention of this essay to explain the United States foreign policy behind specific doctrines. In order to realize current objectives, this paper will proceed as follows: Part 1 will define the Monroe Doctrine, Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 will concurrently explicate the Roosevelt Corollary, Good Neighbor Policy, and the Nixon Doctrine, discuss how each policy resulted in U.S. involvement in Latin American countries, describe how it was justified by the U.S. government, respectively, and finally, will bring this paper to a summation and conclusion.
The major rise of American foreign influence, and thus the need for cohesive foreign policy, materialized just prior to WWII, and prompted the powerful Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, to advocate interdepartmental coordination between the State, War, and Navy entities. The subsequent global (and total) victories by the Allies in WWII heavily influenced the main crafters of foreign policy by demonstrating that military power and international obligations held muc...
In my paper "The undone change of American Foreign Policy after the Cold War" I addressed the inability of the U.S. institutions to meet the newly created challenges of the post-Cold War world. I argued that due to a lack of leadership, especially by the President, the opportunity to "reconfigure" U.S. foreign policy institutions; supported by an absent corresponding ideology; the U.S. had missed its chance to change its foreign policy in the post-Cold War world.
Following the war with Vietnam, America foreign policy saw a new shift. This shift is marked by the decline of containment to a policy of a ‘here and now’ approach. That is, the United States’ new policy was to deal with each situation on a case by case basis rather than treating every threat of communism as a threat to containment. This reclaimed part of the old policy of objectivity in international affairs. As the past shows, controversies and wars alike have the power to dramatically shift a countries foreign policy. One can only wonder what will cause the next change.
Iryie, Akira. The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations: The Globalizing of America, 1913-1945. Volume 3. New York: Cambridge University Press 1993
As we approach the next Presidential election the topic of American foreign policy is once again in the spotlight. In this paper, I will examine four major objectives of U.S. foreign policy that have persisted throughout the twentieth century and will discuss the effect of each on our nation’s recent history, with particular focus on key leaders who espoused each objective at various times. In addition, I will relate the effects of American foreign policy objectives, with special attention to their impact on the American middle class. Most importantly, this paper will discuss America’s involvement in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War to the anticipated fulfillment of these objectives—democracy, manifest destiny, humanitarianism, and economic expansion.
Overall, America’s foreign policy changed dramatically throughout the course of the 20th century. From the Monroe Doctrine to the Vietnam War, foreign policy has had a major impact on American society. It has shifted from not interfering with internal European affairs, to maintaining internal peace and security, to containing the spread of Communism, to playing ping pong with the Chinese to create and maintain trade with them. The idea of Foreign Policy has changed since it has started and will continue to change until the United States of America is no longer.
Hawley, C. (2003). U.S. foreign policy. Encyclopedia of American history: Expansion and reform, 1813-1855, 4, Retrieved August 14, 2008, from Facts on File: American History Online database.
Nye, Jr., Joseph S. “Hard and Soft Power in American Foreign Policy.” In Paradox of American Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 4-17. Print.
The book A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy, by Joyce Kaufman, and the essay, American Foreign Policy Legacy by Walter Mead both acknowledge the history, and the importance of American foreign policy. The two argue that American foreign policy has always been an essential aspect of the prosperity and health of the United States. After reading these writings myself, I can agree that American foreign policy in the U.S. has always been detrimental to the success of this nation. Throughout history most Americans have had very little interest in foreign affairs, nor understood the importance. This essay will address the importance of foreign policy, why Americans have little interest in foreign affairs, and what the repercussions
The foreign policy objectives of the United States have changed drastically throughout the nation’s history. Old ideologies and policies have been abandoned and forgotten as America’s role in the global arena has developed. However, the Monroe Doctrine is an example of American foreign policy that has remained influential since its initiation shortly after America’s conception, up to the 21st century. The focus of this paper will be to analyze the evolution of the Monroe Doctrine, determining the origins and implementation of this policy and identifying whether its influence is still felt t...
The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some emerge from within the discipline itself others have been imported, in whole or in part, from disciplines such as economics or sociology. Indeed, few social scientific theories have not been applied to the study of relations amongst nations. Many theories of international relations are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only in one or another. In spite of this diversity, several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by the variables they emphasize on military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. International Relations thinking have evolved in stages that are marked by specific debates between groups of scholars. The first major debate is between utopian liberalism and realism, the second debate is on method, between traditional approaches and behavioralism. The third debate is between neorealism/neoliberalism and neo-Marxism, and an emerging fourth debate is between established traditions and post-positivist alternatives (Jackson, 2007).