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From the founding until World War II, the US
traditionally did not seek to involve itself in
other countries’ military conflicts outside the
Western Hemisphere. This was made possible
by the fact that, unlike the nations of Europe,
the US is separated from most other countries
by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Monroe Doctrine (1823) asserted that the
US did reserve the right to intervene militarily
to protect our national security interests in
Latin America.
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Exception to US isolationism. We did not enter
the conflict until it was well underway, and US
involvement in the war was extremely
controversial.
League of Nations: International organization
founded after WWI, devoted to diplomacy and
peacekeeping. Although Pres. Woodrow
Wilson was involved in its founding,
isolationists in the US Senate refused to ratify
the treaty so the US did not join the League. It
lasted until the founding of the United Nations
following World War II.
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Active US involvement in WWII began after
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This
marked the end of American isolationism. The
physical and economic devastation of the
traditional European powers in the war forced
the US to take on a world leadership role. The
US was actively involved in the founding of the
United Nations, of which we are the host
country for most functions.
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After WWII, a rivalry developed between the
US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR, or Soviet Union). The USSR was trying
to spread Communism and the US was trying
to contain its spread. The term “Cold War” is
used to differentiate this from a “hot war”
involving actual combat.
“Domino theory”: The idea that, once a country
falls to Communism, its neighbors will fall like
a row of dominoes.
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The US began to become militarily engaged
throughout the world with the goal of
preventing Communism from spreading. This
led to US military involvement in Korea and
Vietnam. The spread of Communism anywhere
in the world was seen as a threat to the security
of the US and its non-Communist allies.
The Cold War lasted until the collapse of the
USSR in 1991.
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World War II was the last declared war the US
fought in. Under the Constitution, the
President is Commander-in-Chief of the
military, but Congress has the power to declare
war.
Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War of the
early 1990’s, and the post-9/11 actions against
al-Qaeda and in Iraq and Afghanistan were not
declared wars by the terms of the US
Constitution.
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Korean War
Vietnam War
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): President Kennedy
ordered a naval blockade of Cuba until they
removed Soviet missiles located there which
could have hit the US. This eventually
succeeded, but not without the threat of
nuclear war.
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The US developed the atomic bomb in 1945
and used it against Japan to end WWII.
The Soviet Union developed atomic weapons
in 1949.
“Mutually Assured Destruction” (MAD) was
an unstated policy in which both sides built up
far more nuclear weapons than they would
ever actually need to destroy the world, on the
theory of deterrence: The other side would be
discouraged from attacking first because they
knew they would be destroyed in retaliation.
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Mutual defense alliance among the United
States, the nations of Western Europe, and
other nations. It was founded in 1949. It
committed the member nations to come to each
other’s aid in the event of a military attack. It
was assumed that American military power
would be needed to defend Western Europe
against an attack from the Soviet Union, but the
mutual defense agreement was never actually
invoked until after the attack on the US on
9/11/01.
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The Soviet Union and its Eastern European
allies formed the Warsaw Pact, a mutual
defense alliance, in response to the
establishment of NATO. Soviet propaganda
held that the US and its allies planned military
attacks against Communist countries.
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The War Powers Act was passed over
President Nixon’s veto. Under this Act, the
President can only commit troops to combat for
60 days, with a possible 30-day extension,
without obtaining the approval of Congress.
Every President since Nixon has believed that
this is an unconstitutional infringement on the
President’s powers as Commander-in-Chief,
but this has never been tested.
Every military action that could be covered by
the War Powers Act has received the approval
of Congress.
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President Jimmy Carter first articulated the
US’s right to intervene militarily to protect our
national security interests in the Persian Gulf, a
major source of US oil. This provided the basis
for the Persian Gulf War of 1991 following the
invasion of Kuwait by Iraq under Saddam
Hussein.
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In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, several
Eastern European nations allied with the Soviet
Union had free elections and replaced their
Communist governments. This accelerated the
pressure for reform in the Soviet Union itself.
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the USSR
in 1985. He initiated a set of political and
economic reforms which led to alternatives to
traditional Soviet Communism. Eventually, the
USSR dissolved in 1991, ending the Cold War.
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Military action against al-Qaeda in retaliation
for 9/11 attacks and to ensure it wouldn’t
happen again
GW Bush articulates doctrine of pre-emptive
action to prevent threats to US security (we will
hit first) – used as justification for war in Iraq
on faulty evidence that they had weapons of
mass destruction. Eventually the war in Iraq
resulted in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
US troops were then withdrawn.
War in Afghanistan, which Obama has pledged
to end US involvement in by 2014
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Nuclear proliferation (Iran, North Korea)
Terrorism
Trade – fair treatment for US products in other
countries, and US access to imports
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Unfair trade practices
Other countries lack regulations on child labor,
environmental protection, wage and hour laws, etc.
Middle East peace (protection of Israel)