American interventionism is no new concept, and any scholar can see the inherent dichotomy between ‘realist’ and ‘idealist’ foreign policy. A quote by John Quincy Adams eloquently points this out. “America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all.” In theory, this quote is an idealistic approach to national security and America’s homeland defense strategy. But in practice, this idea is not the current reality. Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and countless other foreign interventions have demonstrated that for decades America’s foreign policy has fallen short of this utopian theory. And some argue we have become the very monsters we wish to destroy. In this essay, we will discuss …show more content…
We cannot use military force to meet every humanitarian challenge that may arise. Where would we stop?” There must be more restraint. The cost of American lives in search of idealistic hope has become too high. Research shows that military force can be used successfully, when certain criteria are met. Political scientists Jennifer Kavanagh and Bryan Frederick explored how often U.S. military interventions have advanced U.S. objectives, by building a database of conflicts and crises that involved U.S. interests between 1946 to 2018. Their findings showed that “the real danger is not military interventions per se, but large ones with expansive objectives that are out of touch with the reality on the ground.” For example, after invading Afghanistan post 9/11, the United States’s finely tuned counterterrorism mission against al-Qaeda morphed into a broad, nation-building initiative. From 2001-2014, over 2,000 American deaths occurred in Afghanistan with over 20,000 wounded in action (Kavanagh and Frederick). For what?. For the nation to collapse and the Taliban to swiftly take over after U.S. forces leave? What have the last 20 years accomplished? “The U.S. military is poorly equipped to handle political …show more content…
Additionally, the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq War left scholars similarly perplexed, not only by the shockingly high death toll but also by the lack of success according to goals laid out by the United States. In early 2003, American military forces invaded Iraq on two primary guiding principles, 1) to end Saddam Hussein’s rule and 2) to find and destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (“The Iraq War”). While the U.S. did succeed in capturing Hussein, no weapons of mass destruction were ever discovered. In fact, in early 2004 the former top U.S. weapons inspector, David Kay, told Congress: “We were almost all wrong” in regard to the search for weapons of mass destruction (“The Iraq War”). Additionally, in March 2005, a presidential commission concluded that, “the Intelligence Community was dead wrong in almost all of its pre-war judgments about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. This was a major intelligence failure,” (Silberman III). Throughout the Iraq War, nearly half a million people were killed between 2003-2011 due to war-related causes (“Iraq study
In Stephen Kinzer’s Overthrow, centuries of American Intervention in foreign affairs is detailed and discussed. Three sections of the novel: The Imperial Era, Covert Actions, and Invasions speak of recurring patterns and themes throughout history in regards to American involvement. Kinzer suggests such actions were fueled by economic self-interest, ideologies, and the inherent belief that America is a force for good in the world. However, despite the obvious implications of American intervention, some would also say that the narrative weaved by Kinzer is far more complex than suggested.
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.
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
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.
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.
...he basic concepts that should be the foundations of foreign policy. America's position in the world evolved from being a world power that was unconcerned about international security in 1900 to 1950 when America was still a world power, but Americans had to contend with the fear of annihilation by the Soviet Union. Williams states that the ultimate "tragedy of American diplomacy" was the failure of the Open Door Policy. This failure, according to the author, resulted not from its misapplication or inherent weaknesses, but rather its successes. This culminated into the Cold War, as Truman demanded resumption of the Open Door Policy without providing economic assistance to the Soviet Union. These perspectives have relevance in the contemporary international environment and could be utilized in an examination of American involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.
American foreign policy determines how America interacts with other nations. Some positives of American foreign policy are that it has helped fuel economic growth around the world and has resulted in the trade of many customs and traditions between the U.S. and other nations. Some negatives of American foreign policy are that it could lead to discrimination against a certain country if the U.S. doesn’t trade as much with them. Also, alliances could form which causes more money to be spent protecting both nations.
The Iraq war, also known as the second Gulf War, is a five-year, ongoing military campaign which started on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by U.S. troops. One of the most controversial events in the history of the western world, the war has caused an unimaginable number of deaths, and spending of ridiculous amounts of money. The reason for invasion war Iraq’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, which eventually was disproved by weapons inspectors. Many people question George W. Bush’s decision to engage a war in Iraq, but there might be greater reason why the decision was made. The ideas of George W. Bush might have been sculpted by one of the greatest works of all time, "The Prince."
The doctrine of American exceptionalism that is clearly established in the Declaration of Independence is a core belief that not only permeates throughout American society but also influences America’s questionable role in world affairs. According to William Blum “Between 1945 and 2005 the United States has attempted to overthrow more than 40 foreign governments, and to crush more than 30 populist-nationalist movements struggling against intolerable regimes. In the process, the U.S. caused the end of life for several million people, and condemned many millions more to a life of agony and despair” Blum goes on to give various descriptions of the brutal and fierce tactics used by the United States against foreign governments. These stories begin to beg the question, How has America gotten away with such blatant violations of other countries’
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.
... Sept. 11th, 2001, terrorist attack on theWorld Trade Center and the unreliability of U.S. intelligence onWeapons of mass Destruction in Iraq have been a focus of intense scrutiny in the U.S. in 2004 particularly in the context of the 9/11 Commision , the continuing armed resistance against U.S. occupation of Iraq, and the widely perceived need for systematic review of the respective roles of the CIA, FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency. On July 9th, 2004 the Senate report of Pre-war Intelligenceon Iraq of the Senate Intelligence Committe stated that the CIA described the danger presented by Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq in an unreasonable way, largely unsupported by the available intelligence. In a briefing held Sept 15th, 2001 George Tenet presented the Worldwide Attack Matrix, a "top-secret" document describing covert CIA anti-terror operations in 80 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The actions, underway or being recommended, would range from "routine propaganda to lethal covert action in preparation for military attacks". The plans, if carried out, "would give the CIA the broadest and most lethal authority in its history".
Current military leadership should comprehend the nature of war in which they are engaged within a given political frame in order to develop plans that are coherent with the desired political end state. According to Clausewitz, war is an act of politics that forces an enemy to comply with certain conditions or to destroy him through the use of violence. A nation determines its vital interests, which drives national strategy to obtain or protect those interests. A country achieves those goals though the execution of one of the four elements of power, which are diplomatic, informational, military and economical means. The use of military force...
Eagle Rules? Foreign Policy and American Primacy in the Twenty-First Century. Ed. Robert J. Lieber. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. 152-172.
Consequences of intervention can include the loss of lives from an otherwise uninvolved country, the spread of violence, and the possibility of inciting conflict over new problems, just to name a few (Lecture, 11/15/16). For example, John Mueller considers the potential negative consequences of intervention prove that they are insignificant to the cause of humanitarian intervention as a whole. Moreover, with intervention into ethnic conflicts, the outcome, no matter how positive, is overshadowed by a gross exaggeration of negative consequences (Mueller). In both Yugoslavia and Rwanda the solution, to Mueller appeared simple, a well ordered and structured militarized presence was all that was required to end the conflict (Mueller). If this is the case, when discussing whether or not intervention is necessary the political elite must not over-exaggerate the difficulty.
Cyclical behaviors of abuse and hatred are infinite and completely tragic. Writer and poet, Stephen Crane, in his piece, "A Dark Brown Dog," effectively illustrates the desperation for acceptance of a stray dog that is brought home by a child and beaten by his family. Crane, through the use of staggering symbolism (something used to represent something else for the sake of meaning), conveys the portrayal of a dog as a freed, black slave, still trapped under the weight of societal acceptance after the Civil War. Similarly, the rope and father are symbols of restraints that play an essential role in the tragic life of the dark-brown dog.