What is Foreign Policy?
A nation's foreign policy includes national goals and plans to deal with other nations and the techniques used to achieve them. In this lesson, you will examine the role and consequences of foreign policy decisions. You will also evaluate the financial, political, and social costs of national security. National security policy, which is one aspect of foreign policy, is designed to protect the independence and the political and economic integrity of the United States.
In a 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall, President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!"
Foreign Policy Goals
The Department of State has established several foreign policy goals:
- Preserve national security
- Promote world peace and a secure global environment
- Establish free and open trade
- Promote democratic values and human rights
- Work with allies to solve international problems
U.S. foreign policy is sometimes based on moral idealism and sometimes based on political realism - and often on a mixture of both. Moral idealism is the lofty goal of allowing the guiding principles of the U.S. to shine onto other countries. The goal works in conjunction with the idea that most countries want to do the right thing. People that believe in this principle want to export our goodwill through missionary work, The Peace Corps, goodwill ambassadorships and the use of Hollywood produced movies. The opposite of moral realism is political realism. People that believe in this principle, do not believe that most countries are ethical and principled. Political realists often support a strong military and intelligence community. They use this philosophy to justify many controversial actions by the U.S. government.
Foreign Policy Goals
Whenever possible, diplomacy is the preferred the foreign policy tactic. Diplomacy involves the nation's external relationships and is an attempt to resolve conflict without resort to arms.
Read Foreign Policy: What Now? to learn more about U.S. foreign policy goals.
Foreign Aid
The U.S. provides more foreign aid, or money (approximately 500 billion dollars to other countries since the end of WWII), than any other country. The motives are often to serve a specific foreign policy objective. Foreign aid has often served as both moral idealism and political realism. For example, the U.S. has spent billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq, but we are the reason that the country needs rebuilt.
U.S. soldiers unload humanitarian aid for distribution to the town of Rajan Kala, Afghanistan in 2009.
Foreign Aid
Foreign aid played a crucial role in our communist containment policies during the Cold War. This same program is playing a crucial role in the goal of promoting American ideals to prevent terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Many complain about the amount of money we spend overseas but every administration, whether democrat or republican, has pursued these policies.
Role of the Government in Foreign Policy
"Foreign policy" is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, but the Constitution clearly states the President is in charge of America's official relationship with other countries around the world. Although the President has the power in making foreign policy decisions, the Senate has the significant power of ratifying treaties, and the Supreme Court has the power of interpreting treaties.
Graphic Organizer shows the three branches of government and their roles. Legislative (makes laws), Executive (enforces laws), and Judiciary (interprets laws).
Role of the Government in Foreign Policy
The policymaking process, with foreign and domestic policy alike, is initiated when policymakers become aware of a problem that needs to be addressed by the legislature and the president. The process of policymaking includes five steps:
- Agenda building
- Policy formulation
- Policy adoption
- Policy implementation
- Policy evaluation
Explore Foreign Policy 101 to learn more about U.S. foreign policy.
The President and Foreign Policy
The President is the driving force behind U.S. foreign policy. The President is the country's chief diplomat and may enter into executive agreements with other countries. The President can also make treaties (with Senate approval) and may appeal to the public to pressure Congress. Presidents have access to every government department which provides information that allows them to make a better foreign policy decisions. It also allows the public to place more trust in the President than any other member of government. The President selects each department head (with Congressional approval) and oversees each function of government.
President Barack Obama addresses the opening session of the first U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
The State Department and Foreign Policy
The Secretary of State is the President's right hand in all foreign policy matters. The secretary is the highest-ranking Cabinet member. The secretary oversees the Department of State and all of the divisions within that department. It is essential that the President and the Secretary of State see eye to eye on policy matters. The secretary will meet and negotiate with other ambassadors and will pursue the general and specific ideas of the President.
The Department of State oversees big issues and small ones as well. For example, every American that travels abroad must have a passport issued by the State Department. Furthermore, in every country that has a diplomatic relationship with the U.S., an embassy is set up and an ambassador is selected to head the embassy. The position of ambassador is a prestigious one that coordinates with and answers to the Secretary of State.
The Defense Department and Foreign Policy
The President serves as commander in chief of the armed forces and coordinates all national defense policy positions with the Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense oversees the largest budget of any government department from its headquarters at the Pentagon.
Seal or emblem for the Department of Defense.
The Defense Department and Foreign Policy
The Department of Defense oversees these branches of the military:
Department of the Army is the oldest and largest branch of the military. The army is essentially a land invasion and protection force and is the backbone of our nation’s defense.
Department of the Navy is essentially a sea invasion force and sea protection force.
U.S. Marine Corp operates within the U.S. Navy and is often the first to launch invasions in battle.
Department of the Air Force is the newest and possibly most important branch of the military in modern warfare.
The National Security Council
The National Security Council serves under the President but the chairman is the President. It meets at the President's request to advise him mainly on foreign policy matters. However, the National Security Council is also there to advise the President on any matter, foreign, domestic, or military, that affects the nation's security.
Members of the National Security Council receive an update on the death of Osama bin Laden in the White House Situation Room in 2011.
The National Security Council
The NSC is made up of the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, director of the CIA, and other top military, foreign affairs, and intelligence officials. The Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the main military advisors to both the President and Secretary of Defense. These advisors are military leaders. They have a chairman, vice chairman and four leaders from each branch of the military.
Intelligence Agencies and Foreign Policy
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) serves under the National Security Council. The CIA gathers intelligence for all government agencies, analyze the data received, and to report to the President any pertinent information.
The entrance of the CIA New Headquarters Building of the George Bush Center for Intelligence.
Intelligence Agencies and Foreign Policy
The CIA also partakes in clandestine operations separate from the other branches but often in coordination with the military branches.
Espionage plays an important role in information gathering. This process takes the CIA from the use of individual spies to spy satellites and the use of unmanned aerial operations.
Visit the CIA to learn more about the organization.
Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became a Cabinet-level department when Congress passed the Homeland Security Act in November 2002. It serves to coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts to safeguard our country against threats.
President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004 on October 1, 2003.
Department of Homeland Security
The DHS absorbed many other federal agencies or departments in order to better protect the homeland including: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration.
Visit DHS to learn more about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
History of Isolationism
Since the founding of the country the U.S. policy of foreign relations can often change from administration to administration.
For over 150 years after the founding of our country, the U.S. followed a policy of isolationism, or a foreign policy of remaining neutral and avoiding involvement or alliances with other countries.
This political cartoon depicts President Theodore Roosevelt using the Monroe Doctrine to keep European powers out of the Dominican Republic. He is seen pointing a very large cannon from a U.S. ship directly in the face of a European king.
History of Isolationism
With the exception of President Monroe's Doctrine and President Teddy Roosevelt’s Corollary and "big stick" policy, most U.S. Presidents avoided getting involved in international affairs and focused on domestic problems at home.
Read The Roosevelt Corollary to learn more about changes in U.S. foreign policy in the early twentieth century.
Isolationism to Internationalism
The United States tried to maintain neutrality during World War I, but was eventually drawn into the conflict. However, Congress did not allow the United States to join the League of Nations. Opinions started to change, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States joining the war against the Axis Powers. The American people began to realize that isolationism did not keep the U.S. out of wars. The idea of internationalism, which included joining and leading the world community, became the new philosophy that was to be embraced.
President Woodrow Wilson, far right, was part of the “Big Four” leaders at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, following the end of World War I
Containment during the Cold War
After WWII, The U.S. and Russia; at the time known as the United Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), became rivals and enemies. The Cold War did not involve an actual war between the two countries. It was a battle of ideas and a battle to spread these ideas which did lead to U.S. involvement in numerous military conflicts. The two most famous examples are the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
In 1947, President Truman issued the Truman Doctrine. This policy stated the U.S. believed in spreading and supporting democracy and containing the spread of communism. The U.S. economy was a capitalist system and the U.S.S.R. had a communist system.
Containment during the Cold War
President Eisenhower believed in the Domino Theory; if one state falls to communism then more "dominos" would fall. The U.S. pursued a policy of containment to stop the spread of communism.
Read Containment and the Marshall Plan to learn more about foreign policy early in the Cold War.
Policy of Détente
Both the Korean and Vietnam wars saw the U.S. try to contain the spread of communism. As the U.S. involvement in Vietnam finally came to a close, President Nixon pursued a policy of détente, or a relaxing of tensions with the Soviet Union and China, in an attempt to improve relations. Nixon and his advisor Henry Kissinger made visits to both nations to secure the SALT I which limited the number of nuclear weapons built by each nation.
President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai toast during Nixon's 1972 visit to China.
Policy of Détente
Read Triangular Diplomacy to learn more about relaxing tensions between the U.S., Soviet Union, and China.
President Richard Nixon attending a ping-pong exhibition in Beijing, later known as "ping-pong diplomacy."
Multilateralism in a Global Society
In our modern global society, multilateralism, or multiple countries working together on issues, has played a major role in international relations. Multilateralism is more complicated than unilateralism or bilateralism because it requires several countries to work together to make decisions and reach a consensus rather than just one or two countries.
This approach to international relations benefits weaker nations in particular. There are several well-known post WWII examples of multilateralism including the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
Multilateralism in a Global Society
Global multilateralism has its opponents, especially concerning trade issues. A more regional rather than global approach to trade has been the trend, for example, the European Union and NAFTA.
Read A Small, Small, World? to learn more about shifts in globalization
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