Defense and Foreign
Policy
The U.S. vs. the Soviet Union
• Conventional conflicts include:
– the Korean Conflict
– Vietnam
– Afghanistan
• Nuclear Arms Race
• Cuban Missile Crisis
Are we safer since 1991?
• Other "hot spots" include:
– Iraq/Iran
– North Korea
– Balkans (e.g., Bosnia, Serbia, “ethnic cleansing”)
• Our Challenge
Historical Overview of Foreign Policy
• Isolationism
– Monroe Doctrine – 1823
– Manifest Destiny
• Louisiana Purchase
• Acquiring Alaska from Russia
• Portions of the Southwestern U.S. from Mexico
Historical Overview of Foreign Policy
• 1914-1940: America emerges as a world leader
• 1945: United Nations created
• 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
– NATO vs the Warsaw Pact
– Beginning of the Cold War
Historical Overview of Foreign Policy
• Truman Doctrine
– U.S. national security requires the U.S. to protect free
countries
• Policy of Containment (Domino Theory)
– Provide aid to countries vulnerable to communism
– Korea and Vietnam as examples
Historical Overview of Foreign Policy
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1962: Cuban Missile Crisis
1970’s – Détente with the Soviet Union & China
1979 – Soviets invade Afghanistan
1979 – Iranian fundamentalists take over the U.S.
embassy in Tehran
• 1980’s Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy
– “Peace Through Strength”
– Assisting “freedom fighters” in El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Afghanistan
Historical Overview of Foreign Policy
• 1989: Soviets lose influence in Eastern Europe
– Fall of the Berlin Wall, Reunification of East and West
Germany
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1989:
1991:
1991:
1990’s:
Democratization movement in China
Fall of the Soviet Union
War with Iraq
Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism
The Making of Foreign and Defense
Policy
• President's role
– State Department
– Defense Department
– CIA, NSA, NSC
• Role of Congress
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Ratify Treaties
Appointment and Budgetary Powers
Power to Declare War
Congressional Oversight
The Making of Foreign and Defense
Policy
• Diplomatic Tools
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Formal Recognition
Break off diplomatic relations
Foreign aid - including humanitarian aid
Treaties/Executive Agreements
Covert Actions
Trade (e.g., Most Favored Nation Status)