Chapter 19- Foreign Policy (FP)
• (1). Outline history of US Foreign Policy (FP) from isolationism thru Cold War to post•
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Cold War era.
(2). Define the following key FP terms: Monroe Doctrine, globalism, containment
Truman Doctrine, NATO, 3rd World, détente, enlargement, and neo-isolationism.
(3). Define national interest; contrast decision making for FP w/that for domestic policy.
(4). Discuss the enumerated & implied powers set by the Constitution for making FP.
(5). Examine the inherent advantage of the President in making foreign policy.
(6). Outline the role of the White House, the Bureaucracy, the Congress, and the Public
in shaping American foreign policy.
(7). Discuss the US National Security structure and key DOD organizations & leaders.
(8). Discuss Foreign Policy challenges facing the U.S. in the Post-Cold War era.
(9). Assess the future direction of US National Security Policy and Military Strategy,
required military Force Levels, Mission Creep, Multi-nationalism, WMD, and BMD.
(10). Discuss current foreign policy issues and their political impact on the U.S.
- War on Terrorism;
- War with Iraq;
- North Korea; - Arab-Israeli conflict
- Domestic economic slump; - the uncertain future;
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US Foreign Policy (FP)
A Brief History
1798-1941 The Isolationist Era
1942-1945 World War II (start of “Globalism”)
1946-1989 The Cold War
1990-present Post-Cold War
New category after 9/11/2001
Let’s examine these periods in greater detail
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Brief History of U.S. Foreign Policy
• Isolationism
A foreign policy built on the principle of avoiding formal military and
political alliances with other countries.
• The Isolationist Era
– 1st 150 yrs of US History
• Adherence to guidance of Washington’s Farwell address
• Stressed avoiding political connections overseas
• Pursue commercial trade ties only
– US militarily weak & focused on expansion westward
– Not interested in global role (2 oceans of separation)
• What doctrine asserted US interests for the first time
outside America, primarily throughout Western
Hemisphere (1823)?
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The Monroe Doctrine
A basic principle of U.S. foreign policy that
dates back to a warning President James Monroe
issued in 1823 that the United States would resist
further European efforts to intervene in the
affairs of the Western Hemisphere.
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Monroe Doctrine (1823)
• Invoked 1895: early foreign policy involvement outside US
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– Aim: Protect US interest in Western Hemisphere
US involvement overseas primarily in Latin America—WHY?
– US military intervention escalated beginning in 1898:
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World War I
• US deviated from Isolationism briefly during WWI
WW1 (W. Wilson)=> make world “safe for democracy”
 After WW1=> isolationism returns w/vengeance
 Senate rejects League of Nations & Versailles treaty
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 Sets the stage for next global war => ?
World War II
• WWII=> US stays out of War as Hitler first attacks
– Why does US change its mind about involvement?
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“Air Raid Pearl Harbor”
7 December 1941
Impact on American Public Opinion?
Following WWII=> US rethinks previous isolationism
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Globalism Era => The Cold War
• Globalism:
– US should be prepared to use military force around the
globe to protect its political & economic interests
• Following WWII => who emerges as primary
thereat to US political & military interest?
• Presidential doctrine formulated as a result?
• Truman Doctrine:
– US would actively oppose communists’ attempts to
overthrow or conquer non-communist nations
• What policy emerged from the Truman Doctrine?
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Containment
A bedrock principle of U.S. foreign policy from
mid 1940s to early 1990s that emphasized the need
to contain any further Soviet territorial &
communist ideological expansion.
What was the economic instrument of Containment?
Marshall Plan: US commitment to rebuild Europe
$100 Billion+ appropriated for task in today’s $$$
Soviets initially invited to participate (reaction?)
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Soviet Threat
What was the military instrument of Containment?
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Cold War Military Alliances
NATO
Warsaw
Pact
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Korean War
From US perspective, Soviets engaged indirectly through NK & China
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US versus USSR- The Indirect Approach
• Competition at margins=> the 3rd World
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– US primary Foreign Policy goal:
• Prevent potential “falling dominoes”
Major test of this goal: Vietnam War:
– US (Ike) supports French in SE Asia
– Aim: Contain Soviet expansion in SEA
US view of most global crises & conflicts?
• Most viewed as Soviet/communist
inspired:
– USSR => China => North Vietnam =>
South Vietnam’s guerilla insurgents
• How does the US (JFK) initially deal
with South Vietnam’s insurgency?*
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Counter Insurgency (CI)
• JFK sends Special Forces & SEAL advisors to conduct CI
 LBJ expands US involvement following 1964 Tonkin Gulf incident
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“Americanization” of Vietnam War
(1965-1968)
• Conventional US Troops take over fighting for SVN
– Reach high point of 540,000 US troops by 1969
The majority of Americans support US policy & the war until 1968
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The “Tet” Offensive- 1968
• The “light at the end of the tunnel” becomes a speeding
train’s headlight:
– Americans become disillusioned with continuing the War as it’s
bought home to them up front & personal
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– Look for a way out of Vietnam “with honor”
Exit Strategy
• US involvement reached high point by late 1968
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– America became acutely divided over war
– Following Tet Offensive most Americans just wanted out
Seeking a way out of quagmire
– Nixon comes to power with “secret plan” to get out
• “Vietnamization” => allow “Peace with Honor”
• February 1973=> Peace Accords signed
– War turned over to SVN & US military forces withdraw
– 1975: Peace w/o Honor & the “Vietnam Syndrome”
• Nixon sought Soviet help to get US out of Vietnam
– Aim: Get Soviets & China to push North Vietnam to peace talks
– Pursues easing of tensions between two superpowers- called?18
Détente
• A policy of Nixon administration followed to develop
more cordial relations with the Soviet Union.
– Aimed in part in enlisting Soviet support to assist US in getting
North Vietnam back to peace table & serious negotiations
– So that US could get out of Vietnam “with honor.”
• Lasted until 1979
– Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979 (Carter) brought USSoviet détente to an abrupt end.
US-Soviet relations declined even more when Ronald
Reagan took office (“Evil Empire” Speech)
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Reagan &“The Evil Empire”
• Reagan pursues hard line with the Soviets
– A corrupt USSR system living on barrowed economic times
– Serious reform long past due to save it from collapse
• 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev=> comes to power &
attempts reform => Perestroika & Glasnost
– Problem: Soviet system too corrupt & broken to salvage
• Reagan=> outspending the Soviets into defeat
– Unable to keep up with strategic arms race & go broke trying
• Year of Revolution & fall of Eastern Europe - 1989
– Fall of Berlin Wall – symbol of Soviet Communism
• US Military operations continue:
– Grenada, Panama, Iraq #1
– (Clear lack of Soviet support for its former ally- Iraq)
• Fall of Soviet Union- 1991 & End of Cold War
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After the Cold War
• New World Order –
– Strategic reassessment (Bush I) tries to figure out what
US should do during the post Cold War era
– Still trying to decide when Clinton is elected in 1992
• Policy of Enlargement (Clinton)=>
– Expand democracy & free markets globally
• Also use military force as required (& we did):
– Somalia 1993
– Haiti 1994
– Bosnia & NATO peacekeeping- 1995
– Serbia bombing – 1999
– Kosovo – NATO bombing & peacekeeping- 2000
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Foreign Policy Under George W. Bush
• Neo-isolationism: from 2000 until 9/11/2001
– Theory: US should take a step back
• Avoid always acting as world’s policeman
– Reality: Campaign rhetoric gives way to real world
once in office
• The world is still very dangerous & America is not immune
• ON 9/11/2001 that reality hit home hard => revised policy
• The Bush Doctrine:
– America’s post 9/11/2001 Policy & Strategy• Focus: Counter Terror Policy & National Security Strategy
– Preemptive strikes & “preventative war”
• US invasion of Afghanistan & Iraq II
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Foreign Policy (FP) Versus Domestic Policy (DP)
• National Interest & its various degrees & levels
– Vital vs. Important- (who decides?)
• Text: “Two presidencies”
– At Home( weak president) vs. Abroad (strong one)- why?
• Five Sources of Presidential Foreign Policy power:
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1. The Constitution & president’s enumerated vs. implied powers
2. President’s “inherent” advantages in Foreign Policy
3. Role of precedent in presidential dealings in Foreign Policy
4. Supreme Court Rulings regarding presidential FP actions
5. Behavior of Congress when the President takes decisive action
• Let’s examines these sources of power in greater detail*
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1. The Constitution and Foreign Policy
• Article I=> enumerated Congressional powers include:
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Provide for common defense
Regulate commerce
Define & punish Piracies & Felonies on high seas
Declare War
Raise & support Armies & maintain a Navy
Make rules & regulations for land & naval forces (UCMJ)
Power of the purse => (fund or not fund military deployments)
Article II=> enumerated Presidential powers:
– Commander in Chief (title or job description?)
– Power to make treaties (subject to Senate’s ratification)
– Appoint Ambassadors (Senate also has role- what?)
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2. The President’s Inherent Advantages
• Foreign Policy success depends on (what?):
– Speed (quickly seize the initiative)
– Discretion (secrecy)
– Flexibility (shift priorities as needed & compromise)
• Presidential initiatives depend on the venue used:
– Foreign Policy (FP) vs. Domestic Policy (DP)– Difference between the two WRT presidential freedom
of action?
– FP: Unless Congress acts to halt president’s actions
• (Military Force Deployment) – it stands- versus:
– DP: Until Congress agrees to act president’s initiative
• (Social Security reform)- nothing happens
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3. Precedent
• President’s aggressive interpretation of FP powers
– Any presidential action establishes precedent
• If left unchallenged or challenge is unsuccessful=>
• Implied power is successfully established as result
– Successors use as spring board for further expansion
• Truman to present=>
– Implied power as CINC (Korean War- Text: Box 18-1)
– Title confers implied power to order troops into combat
– Now accepted as precedent (though grudgingly)
– Also depends on the perceived power &
popularity (poll numbers) of the president
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4. Supreme Court Rulings
• US v. Curtiss -Wright Export Corporation (1936)
– Court Decision: President’s FP powers go beyond Constitution
– Impact: expanded implied Presidential powers in Foreign Policy
• US v. Belmont (‘37)=> executive agreement (vs. Treaty)
– Result: executive agreements trend up- over 90% (See Box 18-2)
• Furthermore Court usually refuses to hear challenges on FP
– Effect: de facto Court support for presidential FP prerogatives
– Desire to avoid Presidential/Congress political disputes in FP
– Also Court believes FP rulings simply beyond their competence
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5. Behavior of Congress
• Partisan & institutional divisions in Congress=>
– Results in their lack of unified action to challenge
• Belief in strong Presidential leadership in FP
• Electoral considerations
– (What if President is right? – avoid voters’ displeasure)
• Post WWII vs. post Vietnam Congressional behavior
• End of Vietnam War & Cold War =>
– More Congressional activism in Foreign Policy
• Post Iraq II Congressional behavior? (TBD)
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Who Makes U.S. Foreign Policy?
President
NSC
White House Staff
Foreign Policy Bureaucracies
Congress
American Public
How much power & influence does each have on FP?*
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Foreign Policy Power
Let’s examine each more closely
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The White House & NSC
• Role of President & Vice President
– Varies w/administration
– Generally=> President has called all the shots
– Recently VP delegated a great deal of power & influence
• Certainly true of this Administration
• National Security Council (NSC)*
– Plays key role in formulating American Foreign Policy
• NSC advisor & his or her staff’s role
– Plays as either Honest broker or policy advocate
– Depends on President’s preference & NSC advisor
• Nixon & Kissinger vs. Bush II & Rice (now Hadley)
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National Security Council (NSC)
• Created in 1947
• Members include:
• The President & Vice President
• Secretary of State & Secretary of Defense
• Director of CIA & Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff
• (Advisors to statutory members- subject to change)
• The staff is headed up by the National Security Advisor
• Other relevant Cabinet Secretaries invited as required
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Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
NSC Staff
(Coordinator)
State
Department
Defense
CIA & Intel
Department Community
Let’s examine their specific Foreign Policy roles
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The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
• Roles of Department of State
(DOS) vs. Defense (DOD)
– Current Iraq II example: DOD
took the lead over State
– Major debate ensued
• (Winning the Peace vice just
Winning the War)
– Personality driven debate (who
has the most influence?)
• Uniformed Armed Svs’ role
– Chairman & Joint Chiefs
• (CJCS & JCS chiefs)
– Military judgments in a political
world (The Challenge?)
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Intelligence community
• Intelligence community & selected agencies
– Major current power shifts creating disruptions
– DNI & CIA- who’s on first? (TBD )
• Expertise & experience must be taken into account
– Recent Intel failure illustrates problem when not=>
– Telling the boss always what he wants to hear?
• Impact? (Tends to downplay unpleasant or hard news)
• Also all Agencies compete with each other for
power, influence, & $$$ (Budget share)
– Result: Tends to drive US FP to also include what in
their recommendations?
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– Agency’s own interests & agenda
Congress & Foreign Policy
• Constitution (Article I) assigns Congress explicit powers
• Result: Considerable theoretical influence in foreign policy
• Before WWI & II, Congress tended to assert greater role
in Foreign Policy
• During the 1950s and 1960s Congress typically deferred
to the Executive Branch
• (Since WWII & start of Cold War)
• During 1970s and 1980s Congressional activism in
foreign policy grew (Post Vietnam & Watergate)
• Post 9/11 Congress tended to defer to President (at first)
• Now appears to be re-asserting itself as war becomes unpopular
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Congress & Foreign Policy (2)
• So extent of power & influence varies over time
– Cold War vs. post-Watergate & post-Vietnam War vs.
– Post 9/11 (…and back to the future)
• 3 ways Congress influences Foreign Policy:
– 1. Substantive legislation
• $$$ appropriations shape policy => power
– 2. Procedural legislation
• How laws & regulations must be applied wrt Policy
– 3. Efforts to shape Public Opinion
• (Democrats vs. GOP on success or failure of Iraq II)
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Public Opinion & Foreign Policy
• Two options for the Public to shape Foreign Policy:
– 1. Join interest groups & lobby Congress & President
– 2. Vote for candidates aligned with their political views
• Public seldom able to effect day to day polices (Iraq II)
– Often policy makers decide with little regard to the Public –why?
– Public lack detailed knowledge & expertise
– Apathy (most don’t even know or care where crisis spot is)
• More concerned with domestic & economic issues
• Public usually rallies around President once conflict starts
– Initial resistance to deployment => then active support
• But with time support will wane if casualties grow and/or
progress seems to take too long at too high a price
– Then the Public makes its concerns known & with impact
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Impact of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy
• Public Opinion provide decision makers with very little
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guidance, but…
Two indirect effects of Public Opinion:
– 1. Constrains future policies which can be considered
• Example: Vietnam legacy => Vietnam syndrome
– 2. Determines Washington’s FP priorities (with the media)
– Iraq II example=> looters initially brushed off by SECDEF
• Media alerted public & public became concerned re. Iraqi Museum
• As result FBI went to Iraq to track down stolen antiquities
• Recent Public concern for Intel failure wrt WMD
– Forced Administration to adjust reason for invasion (democracy)
– Then forced to defend itself against critics (cherry picking Intel?)
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Challenges of the Post–Cold War Era
• Major debate continues:
– What should the US role be in the post-Cold War era?
• Disagreements over Goals & Strategies & Change:
– Terror strike of 9/11/2001 changed everything
– Debate now centers on strategy to prevent 2nd attack
– Preventive War & pre-emptive strikes (Bush Doctrine)
• (Containment strategy no longer viable option)- why?
• Soviet Union no longer exists & suicide bombers can’t be
logically deterred
– Homeland Security & Defense at what expense?
• What’s at stake: Cost in $$$ & Freedoms
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US Defense Spending (in $$$: 1962-2010)
Another way to look at Defense Spending?*
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DOD Budget (as % of GDP)
Korean War
%
of
G
D
P
Vietnam War
(High point)
Cold War
Ends
9/11
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Future Challenges to US Foreign Policy
• Disagreements about the goals and strategies
of American foreign policy for 21st century
• An ever changing foreign policy agenda
• Cold War => Post Cold War => Bush Doctrine
• Unilateral versus multilateral* FP approach
• How are they different?*
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Unilateralism vs. Multilateralism
Unilateralism:
The tendency of the US to
act alone in foreign affairs
without consulting other
countries.
Multilateralism:
Three or more Nations
cooperate together to
solve some common
foreign policy problem
Particular approach selected will depend on the major
FP problems the US will face during the 21st Century
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Potential Problems in US Foreign Policy for
21st Century
The United States will face complex problems in:
• Nuclear proliferation (North Korea & Iran)
• Military interventions (The Middle East & exiting Iraq)
• Economic policy (Trade imbalance w/China & ME Oil prices)
• Globalization (Global interdependence & domestic impact)
• “Inter-mestic” issues (Foreign Policy impact at home)
• Human rights (American ideals vs. US National interests)
• Homeland Security (Balancing security with liberties)
• The unknown threat (Future “9/11s”?)
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The Last Assignment:
• Review & prepare for Final Exam
– 25 question standardized test will also be administered
• Questions & answers to Midterm & Test II
– Review: come prepared to ask your questions
• (last chance to clarify any uncertainty)
• Essay Question Prep Review (Handout last week)
• Turn in your Research Paper on Wednesday 11/30
– Include Bibliography and endnotes/sources cited
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Chapter 18: KEY TERMS
• Cold War: A phrase used to describe the high level of tension and distrust that characterized
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relations between the Soviet Union and the United States from the late 1940s until the early
1990s.
Containment: A bedrock principle of U.S. foreign policy from the 1940s to the 1980s that
emphasized the need to prevent communist countries, especially the Soviet Union, from
expanding the territory they controlled.
Detente: A policy the Nixon administration followed to develop more cordial relations with
the Soviet Union.
Engagement: The policy of encouraging U.S. trade and investment in a country in an effort
to encourage it to pursue policies more to America’s liking.
Enlargement: The policy President Bill Clinton proposed as a substitute for containment. It
calls on the United States to promote the emergence of market democracies; that is, countries
that combine a free market economic system with a democratic political system.
Executive agreements: International agreements that, unlike treaties, do not require the
approval of two-thirds of the Senate to become binding on the United States.
Foreign Service Officers: Career professional diplomats who work for the Department of
State.
Free trade: An economic policy that holds that lowering trade barriers will benefit the
economies of all the countries involved.
Globalism: The idea that the United States should be prepared to use military force around
the globe to defend its political and economic interests.
Globalization: The process by which growing economic relations and technological change
make countries increasingly interdependent.
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Chapter 18: KEY TERMS (2)
• Intermestic issues: Issues such as trade, the environment, and drug trafficking that affect
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both domestic and foreign interests.
Isolationism: A foreign policy built on the principle of avoiding formal military and
political alliances with other countries.
Marshall Plan: A multibillion-dollar U.S. aid program in the late 1940s and early 1950s
that helped Western European countries rebuild their economies in the wake of World War.
Monroe Doctrine: A basic principle of U.S. foreign policy that dates back to a warning
President James Monroe issued in 1823 that the United States would resist further
European efforts to intervene in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.
Multilateralism: An approach in which three or more countries cooperate for the purpose
of solving some common problem.
National interest: The idea that the United States has certain interests in international
relations that most Americans agree on.
National Missile Defense (NMD): A weapons system that, if it can be made to work,
would potentially protect the United States and possibly its allies against attack by longrange ballistic missiles.
Neo-conservativism: Recent resurgence of Conservative ideology, especially toward
Foreign Policy.
Neo-isolationism: The idea that the United States should reduce its role in world affairs
and return to a foreign policy similar to the one it pursued before World War II.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): A military alliance founded in 1949 for
the purpose of defending Western Europe from attack. Members of NATO include the
United States, Canada, and fourteen European countries.
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Chapter 18: KEY TERMS (3)
• Sovereignty: The power of self-rule.
• Third World: A term loosely defined to mean the developing
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countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Truman Doctrine: A policy, announced by President Truman in
1947, that the United States would oppose communist attempts to
overthrow or conquer non-communist countries.
Two presidencies: The argument that presidents have much greater
influence over the content of foreign policy than the content of
domestic policy.
Unilateralism: The tendency of the United States to act alone in
foreign affairs without consulting other countries.
World Trade Organization (WTO): The international trade
agency that began operation in 1995 as the successor to the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
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