The foundation for America was built upon ideas that valued the importance of the individual; individual choice, rights and contributions. Therefore, it can be said that human rights and democracy have a long history in the United States. Thus, it is easy to understand how these concepts have shaped American foreign policy throughout history and why they remain important elements today. Although consideration for these elements has not always been consistent in foreign policy in lieu of criticism it is vital to gain insight into the challenges of balancing national interest with conventions of morality. Furthermore, whilst surveying perceived errors in policy with regard to human rights, one must consider the implications for the nation had the opposite method been employed. This raises the question of how leadership determines both the risks and benefits for the country when shaping policy that highlights human rights and/or furthers democracy. Needless to say, it is impossible to craft foreign policy that consistently embodies all moral and ethical values as well as the best interest for the nation. However, those factors that elicit accusations of hypocrisy are often precisely the policies which will enable the U.S. to gain the advantage toward eventually achieving those more idealistic goals.
Why are human rights & democracy important issues in American foreign policy? There is no simple answer to this question; rather it is a combination of factors that define the importance of these issues. Foremost, at least in the international sense, is the United Nation’s Universal Human Rights Declaration from 1948 which is considered a universally accepted idea of human rights, especially in the aspect of a nation or its lead...
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... are patience, perseverance and small steps toward a greater plan.
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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
Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz. World Politics. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
"Democracy" means, to many Americans, a system in which they choose their own leaders, voice their opinions to representatives in government, and human rights and freedoms are respected by the state. But in practice, "democracy," when applied abroad by the United States, means subjugating native peoples to the will of American corporations, and in the process, the destruction...
(1)Should the U.S sometimes pursue realpolitik and sometimes human rights? In other words, is it acceptable for the U.S. to someimes anything even support dictators, if it is good for the nation, sometimes pursue moral priciples when it can reasonably do so?.(2) I think the U.S. should do what is in the best interest of the United States for example, (3)Just one day after the French surrender at Dien Bien Phu, an international conference to settle the Indochina conflict began in Geneva, Switzerland. There , representatives of the French and Vietminh attempted to to map out Indochina’s future. Cambodia, Great Britain, Laos, the People’s Replublic of China, The Soviet, and the United States. Also with the Panama Canal Treaties and the Chilean Revolution.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Shiraev, Eric B., and Vladislav M. Zubok. International Relations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Silver, Larry.
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.
Understanding the World ‘We’ Live in’, International Affairs, Vol. 80, No. I, (2004) pp. 75-87.
Due to this great influence of the US in the international arena, debates have ensued concerning the impacts of America’s excessive involvement in international matters. Most Americans today are of divided opinions on international policies their leaders expose them to and the question making the rounds is whether those policies are worth all the inputs expended by the US government. Structurally and politically America is democratic. One of the key things it takes to the international community is that it wants the “whole” world to be democratic. It wants people to believe what it believes in. this has more been championed by members of the Congress and the executive and it all amounts into asking whether these two institutions are becoming a liability or an asset to the Americans at large. ...
When the dogmatic kings of 17th century Europe started to abuse their own people’s rights and persecute the others, the people were forced to abscond. However, where would these people go, wherever they went in Europe they were persecuted. These people were in desperate need of freedom and that is exactly what they found in the New World. On the soil of America, the Founding Fathers constructed a Constitution and a democratic government so that no one else’s rights would be repressed. The Constitution had attached to it the Bill of Rights, which contained ten amendments that all protected the rights of Americans, from the freedom of press to the right to a fair and speedy trial. These rights were in turn protected by civil liberties or “… guarantees of the safety of persons, opinions, and property from the arbitrary acts of government” (McClenaghan 772). Under this new government, a democratic nation wa...
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On December 10th in 1948, the general assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration, although not legally binding, created “a common standard of achievement of all people and all nations…to promote respect for those rights and freedoms” (Goodhart, 379). However, many cultures assert that the human rights policies outlined in the declaration undermine cultural beliefs and practices. This assertion makes the search for universal human rights very difficult to achieve. I would like to focus on articles 3, 14 and 25 to address how these articles could be modified to incorporate cultural differences, without completely undermining the search for human rights practices.
Issues of ideology and power are remained deeply embedded when dealing with democracy. In International Relations, cultural relativists determine whether an action is right or wrong by evaluating it according to the ethical standards of the society within which the action occurs. . This is particularly so where culture is linked to particular state or regional interests. Relativism has become a complimentary to constructivism since these two concepts are philosophically related. Constructivism and cultural relativism are products of man’s mind. According to both, there are no absolute truths that can really answer the central questions in this thesis since the case itself is about culture, values, and ideology. Furthermore,