Foreign Policy
0 Definition: This countries actions, words, and beliefs
toward other countries
0 Main Goals:
0 Protect America and Americans
0 Support economic growth and human rights around the world
0 Increase support for American values like democracy and
freedom
Most often the President and executive branch initiate
our foreign policy responses to world events and work
with the legislative branch to carry out these responses
Foreign Aid
0 The help or assistance that we
give to other countries, usually
through our Department of
State
0 Main goal of our foreign aid
is to create friendships
abroad and foster future
trading partners
0 Foreign aid comes in many
forms. The most common are
0 economic, like money
0 military, like soldiers helping
after a disaster
0 advice, like how to create a
democracy
Military
0 This country’s troops, led by
our President who is called
the Commander-in-Chief
0 main goal of our military is
to prevent war and protect
the United States
0 Department of Defense is
made up of the following
branches:
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Army
Navy
Air Force
Marines
Treaties
0 A formal agreement between
countries that, like laws, must
be followed
0 The President is responsible
for negotiating and signing
treaties
0 All treaties must be
approved by 2/3rds of the
Senate
Example: Countries form an
alliance through signing a
treaty. This treaty says that if
one of the countries is
attached, the others will step
in to protect each other
The Cost of Foreign Policy
American Foreign Policy
Through History
0 1796 – George Washington warning of “entangling
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0
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alliances”
1822 – Monroe Doctrine
1904 – Roosevelt Corollary
1918 – Wilson and League of Nations
1945 – Marshall Plan
1946 – Cold War
1947 – Truman Doctrine
1950’s – Korea, Vietnam
1991 – Gulf War
2002 – Bush Doctrine
America as a Superpower
0 Definition –
0 A country with the capacity
or potential to effect
creative and destructive
power in any corner of the
known world
By the Numbers
0 Economic Power
0 Population
0 GDP
0 Total Trade
0 Imports
0 Exports
0 Affiliate Sales
0 GDP Growth
300 million (ranks 4th)
$10.9 Trillion (ranks 1st)
$2.3 Trillion (ranks 1st)
$1.5 Trillion (ranks 1st)
$800 Billion (ranks 1st)
$10 Trillion (ranks 1st
Ranks 1st among WID’s
By the Numbers
0 Military Power
0 Military Spending:
0 Naval Supremacy:
0 Air Supremacy:
0 Ground Supremacy:
0
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Land Area:
Railroads:
Highways:
Airports:
$400 Billion (ranks 1st)
9 Supercarrier Groups (ranks 1st)
More advanced fighters than any other country
6,000-10,500 nuclear warheads (ranks 1st or 2nd)
More armed forces than any other country
1.4 million personnel on active duty (ranks 3rd)
6 million square miles (ranks 3rd)
140,000 miles of railway (ranks 1st, 2.3x Russia)
4 million miles of highway (ranks 1st, 2x India)
5,128 paved airports (7x Brazil, > next 20 countries
combined)
Soft Cultural Power
0 American Brands
(McDonalds, Coca Cola,
Apple) are known
worldwide
0 American entertainment
known and available
worldwide
0 Large numbers of
American students and
workers abroad
Foreign Policy in the Nuclear Age
0 Nuclear Weapon States
0 The Two Koreas (Video)
0 North Korea’s Threat and
Demand foreign policy
Question to Consider
0 Should the United States
as the last Superpower
act as a police force for
the world?
0 What reasons for
American foreign policy
make U.S. involvement in
North Korean affairs
likely?