Write a 500-800 word response. You do not need to follow a specific outline.The prompt will be the following:Who and what are some of the most important governmental actors in American foreign policy?

Foreign Policy Chapter 14 Foreign Policy Foreign Policy Goals of Foreign Policy Overview of foreign policy • Foreign policy : programs and policies that determine America ’ s relations with other nations and foreign entities • American foreign policy purposes – Security – Prosperity – Creation of a better world Security Security • To many people, the chief goal of foreign policy is security • Traditionally, the United States has been concerned with dangers posed by hostile foreign nations • But today, security also involves threats posed by terrorist groups and other hostile nonstate actors – Nonstate actors : Organized groups that are not nation - states that attempt to play a role in the international system Guarding against National Threats Protecting the nation • The United States relies on an enormous military apparatus • The United States also relies on intelligence -gathering institutions for protection – The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plays a key role in this effort Early U.S. Foreign Policy Guiding foreign policy principles • During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, U.S.

security was guided by the principle of isolationism – Isolationism : the avoidance of involvement in the affairs of other nations • presidents from the nation ’ s early history, including George Washington and James Monroe, advocated this policy • The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor and World War II called into question whether isolationism best served security Foreign Policy after World War II The end of isolationism • World War II ended isolationism and ushered in a new security policy known as containment – Containment : a policy designed to curtail the political and military expansion of a hostile power • containment after World War II was designed to check the growing power of the Soviet Union • The United States built a strong military as deterrence for possible Soviet aggression against the nation and its allies Foreign Policy during the Cold War 1 Handling the potential threat of the Soviet Union • In addition to containment and deterrence, another school of thought existed – Appeasement : an effort to forestall war by giving in to the demands of a hostile power • The era of U.S. confrontation with the Soviet Union (from the 1940s to about 1990) known as the Cold War Foreign Policy during the Cold War 2 The Cold War • The United States and the USSR were the two global superpowers after World War II – Each was capable of destroying the world many times over with their nuclear arsenals • a posture known as mutually assured destruction – The United States and the Soviet Union nearly went to war during the “Cuban missile crisis” • After the Cuban missile crisis, both sides sought to reduce tensions, leading to a period of détente Nation - States and Nonstate Actors The effectiveness of deterrence • Deterrent capabilities make a valid assumption when dealing with nation -states – Nation -states : Countries with governments and fixed borders, which are recognized by other nation -states • Dealing with nonstate actors, however, makes deterrence difficult – Terrorists may believe they can attack and melt away, leaving the United States with no one against whom to retaliate Countering New Security Threats Shifting from deterrence to preventive war • President George W. Bush adopted a preventive war policy – Preventive war : a policy of striking first when a nation fears that a foreign foe is contemplating hostile action • Under the preventive war policy, the United States declared it would strike first against terrorist groups and rogue states – The purpose is to disable threats before they can harm the United States Diplomacy, Sanctions, and Collective Action President Obama has moved the United States away from the George W. Bush – era policy of preventive war • The Obama administration has emphasized diplomacy, sanctions, and collective action – Example: Obama announced economic sanctions against Russia for its actions in Crimea Economic Prosperity A second major goal of U.S. foreign policy is to promote American economic prosperity • P romoting economic prosperity is done by – Expanding domestic employment – Maintaining access to foreign natural resources at favorable costs – Promoting foreign investment in the United States – Lowering prices that citizens pay for goods and services Economic Prosperity: Trade Policy A key element of U.S. international economic policy is trade policy • Trade policy : a complex arrangement of treaties and tariffs – Advantages of free trade: less expensive consumer goods – Disadvantages of free trade: U.S. factories and jobs may move abroad to foreign nations because of cheaper labor • The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the most important international organization for trade Economic Prosperity: WTO and GATT The World Trade Organization grew out of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) • GATT – An international organization, in existence from 1947 to 1995, that set many of the rules governing international trade – Encouraged reductions in barriers to international trade • WTO was established in 1995; it has 151 members worldwide – Critics charge the WTO does not pay sufficient attention to the concerns of developing nations International Humanitarian Policies A third major goal of U.S. foreign policy is to promote international humanitarian policies • International humanitarian policies include – International environmental policies – International human rights policies – International peacekeeping • These policies can range in priority depending on other security and trade issues associated with a given nation International Environmental Policies The United States supports various efforts at environmental protection • UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – An international agreement to study and ameliorate harmful changes in the global environment • Montreal Protocol – An international agreement signed by 150 nations to limit the production of substances harmful to ozone layer • However, the United States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, which regulated the production of greenhouse gases Human Rights The United States is a party to most major international human rights agreements • These include – The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – The UN Convention against Torture – The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination • The Department of State ’ s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor focuses attention on human rights abuses Peacekeeping U.S. foreign policy supports international peacekeepi ng • Humanitarian efforts include – In 2015, nearly $2 billion in humanitarian aid to help Syrian refugees – In 2014, $300 million in humanitarian aid to people of South Sudan • the people of South Sudan faced a serious risk of famine Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: The President Presidential influence on foreign policy • The president has important foreign policy powers – The power to make treaties, appoint ambassadors, and serve as commander in chief – Can directly set foreign policy strategies • Example: the Bush Doctrine, under George W. Bush – foreign policy based on the idea that the United States should take preemptive action against threats to its security Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: Bureaucracy Bureaucracy includes key leaders in decisions on foreign policy • All the following help shape foreign policy and are appointed by the president – Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security – Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) – Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – Director of National Security Council (NSC) – Director of National Intelligence Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: Congress 1 Congressional influence on foreign policy • Congress has constitutional power to declare war – Has only done so five times • War of 1812, the Mexican -American War (1846), the Spanish American War (1898), World War I (1917), and World War II (1941) • Congress controls the money – Financing is necessary for war, defense, and other measures • Congress, however, rarely refuses to fund military actions the president has initiated: that would be politically unpopular Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: Congress 2 Congress also has important powers • The Senate reviews and approves treaties – Treaty approval requires a two -thirds “ supermajority ” of the Senate • The Senate confirms the president ’ s nominations – Includes Cabinet members, ambassadors, the director of the CIA, and other high -ranking officials • Congress regulates commerce with foreign nations – Can enact tariffs and trade laws Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: Interest Groups 1 Interest group influence on foreign policy • Most interest groups focus on a single issue, although some are active on broader issues, such as free trade – Larger interest groups, or peak associations, may not always speak with a single voice • business groups have varied positions on trade – Single -issue interest groups, however, have clear positions and can be very influential in foreign -policy making Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: Interest Groups 2 Other important interest groups on foreign policy • National origin groups – Groups of people with strong attachments to, and identification with, their country of national origin • Examples: Jewish American groups; Cuban American groups • Human rights groups – Have become more prominent in recent decades • Example: Amnesty International; the Christian right Who Makes American Foreign Policy ?: The Public Public • Public opinion can be important in shaping foreign policy – The public focuses on foreign policy when the nation is at war • public support for military action abroad tends to decline when war seems drawn out and casualties are high • elected officials, including the president, risk losing re -election if they are on the wrong side of public opinion Who Makes American Foreign Policy? Putting it together • Foreign policy is primarily shaped by the president – Other key players vary from case to case • The influence of the president is strongest under crisis conditions – As time becomes less restricted, the arena of key and influential actors on foreign policy matters expands • Foreign policy is shaped by strategic interactions with other nations and their leaders Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy Diplomacy • Diplomacy refers to the representation of a government to other governments – The purpose is to promote national values or interests by peaceful means Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: The UN 1 United Nations • Often underestimated as a tool of U.S. foreign policy – Important because it can be used to shape world opinion • UN General Assembly – Comprises one representative of each of the 192 states – Each member representative has one vote – Important issues require a two -thirds majority vote Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: The UN 2 United Nations • UN Security Council – May be called into session at any time – Each member must be present at UN headquarters – The council is composed of 15 members • 5 permanent (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia) • 10 elected by General Assembly – Permanent members have veto power over any proposal Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: Monetary Structures 1 The International Monetary Structure • In 1944, the United States brought together its allies in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire – The purpose of the meeting was to create a new economic structure for the postwar world – Resulted in two institutions • the World Bank • the International Monetary Fund Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: Monetary Structures 2 International monetary structure • The World Bank – Its chief mission is providing development aid to poor countries; it was set up to finance long -term capital • The International Monetary Fund – An institution that provides loans and facilitates international monetary exchange – It was set up to provide a short -term flow of money; it replaced gold with the U.S. dollar as the world ’ s currency Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: The Economy Economic aid and sanctions • Economic aid – The United States provides $30 billion a year to other countries – Aid is a carrot (a positive incentive using benefits) to get countries to take actions that the United States desires • Economic sanctions – Sanctions are a stick (a negative incentive using penalties) to get countries to take actions that the United States desires – They include trade embargoes, bans on investment, bans on travel, and freezing of assets held in U.S. banks Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: Security Collective security • The first collective security agreement was the Rio Treaty – It created the Organization of American States (OAS) • it stipulated that armed attack against any of its members “ shall be considered an attack against all the American States ” • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – Organization comprising the United States, Canada, and most of Western Europe and intended to counter the potential threat of the Soviet Union Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: Military Force Military force • The most visible instrument of foreign policy is military force • The United States is responsible for one -third of the world ’ s total military expenditures • Military force is generally considered a last resort – Extremely costly in both human and financial terms – Inherently fraught with risk Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy: Arbitration Arbitration • International disagreements can be resolved by a neutral third party, in a process called arbitration – Considered by some analysts to be a form of “ soft power ” because it does not rely on any coercive actions (such as military force) – The International Court of Justice is an international body that handles arbitration – Trade agreements and international contracts depend on arbitral panels; these are essential to supporting U.S.

economic interests Public Opinion Poll: Q1 Should the United States engage in trade or offer any kind of military support to nations with well - documented human rights abuses that are contrary to democracy? a) Yes, the United States should do business with such nations if doing so is beneficial. b) No, the United States should not trade or offer assistance to nations that are antidemocratic in any way. Public Opinion Poll: Q2 Should Congress be required to declare war before the United States engages in armed conflicts? a) Yes, there should be formal declarations of war by Congress that signal the will of the people and the nation to engage in the conflict. b) No, formal declarations are not needed because the president often must act quickly. Public Opinion Poll: Q3 Which foreign policy tactic would be the most successful to convince the largest number of nations to adopt policies favorable to the United States? a) economic benefits or sanctions b) military threats c) diplomacy (dialogue, negotiation) Public Opinion Poll: Q4 Should the United States adopt a more isolationist foreign policy approach, as it did a century ago? a) Yes, the United States should not intervene or engage with other nations much, if at all. b) No, the United States must be engaged with the rest of the world and viewed as a major power and player by other nations. Public Opinion Poll: Q5 What is the biggest foreign policy concern to American national interests? a) terrorist threats b) rising economic powers that could make the American economy weaker. c) cyber hacks and attacks that compromise American state secrets (e.g., WikiLeaks) Additional Information Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook. Goals of Foreign Policy: Food Aid U.S. Spending on National Defense Principal Foreign Policy Provisions of the Constitution Syrian Civil War American Israel Public Affairs Committee Collective Security Military Force