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For an American history class i'm taking, I have the following essay prompt:
Evaluate the following statement:
"American foreign policymakers have consistently pursued the same objectives from the 1870s to present"
I know the big thing with American foreign policy was the shift away from non-interventionism around the World War I era, so I know foreign policy has changed a lot, but what about the objectives?
What do you guys think would be the best way to tackle this? Developing a thesis is usually the hardest part for me when it comes to writing papers... only has to be 5-8 pages too.
Given the time period in question, post-Civil War to present, I think the general underlying theme of US foreign policy has been America as world police performing a constant balancing act among the worlds powers. From that time period on there is a constant shifting of public sentiment between expansionism and isolationism and the US itself running the gamut from mediator to interventionist to "freer of the oppressed".
Throughout each of the periods outlined by Grandstander there is an undercurrent of America as police, but not always in that negative connotation. From America's position as a mediator of international (read European) disputes, to America leveraging its position to exclude the Europeans from the western hemisphere (a major source of pride and power even in the era being reviewed), to serving as the balancing force in major wars to our current position of truly "global policemen" one can find that theme throughout.
The ultimate question would then be why did America take on this role? The best answer IMO would be it was the best way for a country that had recently filled its borders to exert its influence and didn't always require military force to do it.
I'm not asking anyone to give me in depth analysis or a thesis, I'm just trying to get ideas so I can develop my thesis and then from there do my own research. Thanks for the ideas guys, I'm open to more, though I already have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to write about.
Bert -- ask your Prof about this approach, and see what he/she says. Perhaps one of the objectives of the assignment is to encourage you to think for yourself. If you did this kind of thing in one of my classes, I'd have your can up before the student council for cheating in a heartbeat.
Given the time period in question, post-Civil War to present, I think the general underlying theme of US foreign policy has been America as world police performing a constant balancing act among the worlds powers. From that time period on there is a constant shifting of public sentiment between expansionism and isolationism and the US itself running the gamut from mediator to interventionist to "freer of the oppressed".
Throughout each of the periods outlined by Grandstander there is an undercurrent of America as police, but not always in that negative connotation. From America's position as a mediator of international (read European) disputes, to America leveraging its position to exclude the Europeans from the western hemisphere (a major source of pride and power even in the era being reviewed), to serving as the balancing force in major wars to our current position of truly "global policemen" one can find that theme throughout.
The ultimate question would then be why did America take on this role? The best answer IMO would be it was the best way for a country that had recently filled its borders to exert its influence and didn't always require military force to do it.
See, I'm not sure if I would wholly agree with this. I would argue that national objectives were remarkably fluid from 1870 through today.
From 1870 through 1898, the United States was far more driven by its own domestic agenda of developing the country than anything that went on beyond its shores. If anything, its foreign policy was more driven by a need to protect trade.
Then, of course, came the Spanish-American war and the country's sudden emergence as an imperial power of sorts. However, even then, I would offer that the U.S. didn't behave in the same way as its European counterparts, considering how it didn't participate in the scramble for Africa, gave Cuba its independence, and didn't carve out enclaves in a prostrate China.
I think this isolationist streak remained stubborn for two more generations, with the exception of World War I, which was really an effort to protect free trade. When the Treaty of Versailles was concluded, the U.S. went happily back to its borders and rather militantly opted out of the League of Nations.
World War II and the Cold War changed everything, of course. But up to 1941, the United States was largely content to leave world affairs to other powers. To be sure, there was Teddy Roosevelt's arbitration of the Russo-Japanese war, but one could say that was a role that any neutral power would have undertaken. In fact, I think the United States' influence in both the RJ War and World War I sprang from the fact the United States lacked international ambitions and could be looked upon as an honest broker.
And, there were our repeated interventions in the Caribbean and Central America. But the rest of the time, we were pretty happy to allow the British, French, and the rest of the Great Powers has things out on the world stage.
Bert -- ask your Prof about this approach, and see what he/she says. Perhaps one of the objectives of the assignment is to encourage you to think for yourself. If you did this kind of thing in one of my classes, I'd have your can up before the student council for cheating in a heartbeat.
Well, seeing as he encouraged us to discuss/brainstorm ideas for the prompt in groups during class, I don't think he would mind too much.
Given the time period in question, post-Civil War to present, I think the general underlying theme of US foreign policy has been America as world police performing a constant balancing act among the worlds powers. .
I'm in agreement with cpg35223, that if graphed, America's interest in foreign affairs would be below the mean, with a few spikes here and there, from 1870 through 1941. Since then the line has moved and remained above the mean.
I think of it as the Comic Book Thesis. Have you noticed that in the comics, cities which are blessed with a superhero taking up protective residence, are simultaneously struck by an outbreak of marauding super villains?
In the case of America as the World Police, what had been required to get Uncle Sam to put on the tights and cape and roar out in the Freedommobile, was the emergence of super villains, first the Fascists, followed immediately by the Big Red Menace.
America had experienced an age of ideology when they fought the revolution, and another such age with Manifest Destiny. The majority of Americans truly believed that it was the will of the Divine that they overrun the entire continent, justified by the cathedral of liberty it brought to all of these regions. But that crusading urge ended at our continental borders. Manifest destiny did not extend overseas.
The spikes on the previously mentioned graph would be represented by the Spanish American War, Teddy showing off with the Great White Fleet and WW I. Those were the exceptions, the norm was an inward looking America.
That did not change until the ideological impulse to export our brand of republican government was ignited by the rise of the super villains, who would impose their evil ideology on all.
All Empires go through the same stages.
US is wasting needed resources to sustain the Army/Weapon complex and "Limes".
Just like the Roman Empire during the third century, the Spanish Empire during the XVI and XVII Centuries, and England during the XIXth and XXth Century.
The problem I see for the Europe (the old w.h.o.r.e as Christians called Rome) is that EEC won't have any black knight and will go down the drain if the US falls.
After all, modern Europe in an American reinvention.
So the "Western Civilization" will be replaced, by what?
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