U.s. Foreign Policy History - 2175 Words

The course of U.S. foreign policy history can be understood through â€Å"watersheds,† or critical points. These points can serve as dividing lines that illuminate shifts in policy and opinion. However, thinking of this history in terms of critical moments or turning points can simplify the complex actors, sentiments and tendencies that create and influence foreign policy. These critical points are not necessarily the sole cause of massive shifts in policy, but often add impetus to pre-existing tendencies. Nonetheless, watersheds can help the public digest patterns in foreign policy, playing an important role in how American’s perceive their role in the world. According to Brzezinski, â€Å"America’s relationship with the world has been characterized by cycles of ‘extroversion’ and ‘introversion’,† or involvement and isolationism. Throughout the nation’s history, Americans have witnessed and influenced many shifts or turns in this cycle, caused, exacerbated or illuminated by several critical events. Through this lens, the Spanish-American War, Pearl Harbor, the Vietnam War and 9/11 are critical points that added the impetus to shift the cycle of U.S. foreign policy in the other direction. The Spanish-American war paved the way for American Imperialism, illuminating a shift towards interventionist policies. Emerging from post-WWI isolationism, the attack on Pearl Harbor created an immediate national consensus, realigning foreign policy towards international involvement andShow MoreRelatedU.s. Foreign Policy : Global Power For Recent History2602 Words   |  11 PagesThe United States (US) has been the major global power for recent history – they have been labelled as the superpower and many smaller, developing nations have looked to the US for assistance in times of crisis. Following this, it is no secret that US foreign policy revolves heavily on maintaining its global influence and leadership so as to secure US interests and promote compatible values. However, today’s world of globalisation has proved to be difficult for the US – their ‘superpower’ statusRead MoreThe Impact Of Exceptionalism On The United States944 Words   |  4 PagesHolsti, 2010). The current U.S. President Obama also stresses a similar point by stating that â€Å"I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism† (Obama, cited in Ceaser, 2012, p.4). However, exceptionalism purposed by the U.S. is different from those of other countries. Firstly, althoug h each countries believe in their own uniqueness (Hoffmann, 2005), no country but the U.S. claims and attempts toRead MoreThe Historical Background Of U. S. 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