Presentation by Eric Miller, Blinn College, Bryan, Texas. Foreign and Defense Policy: Protecting the American Way

We the people of the United States, in order to … provide for the common defense …

» The United States as Global Superpower ˃Isolationist +deliberately avoiding a large role in world affairs +prior to WWII, the U.S. primarily was an isolationist nation ˃Internationalist +deeply involved in the affairs of other nations +since WWII the U.S. has become an internationalist nation ˃Lesson of Munich +the idea that appeasement only encourages further aggression ˃Containment +the foundation for U.S. foreign policy after WWII +the idea that the Soviet Union was the aggressor nation and had to be prevented from achieving its territorial ambitions +aggressor nations could only be blocked by determined opposition

» The Cold War and Vietnam ˃Cold War +Forty-five years of deep hostility between the U.S. and the Soviet Union +never became an actual shooting war +the U.S. supported governments threatened by communism +the world became “bipolar” – international power was divided between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. – each side was supreme in its sphere and was blocked from expanding its influence y the power of the other ˃Vietnam +the most painful and costly application of the containment doctrine +led to LBJ’s decision to not seek reelection in U.S. combat forces left in North Vietnamese took over the country in 1975

» Détente and Disintegration of “the Evil Empire” ˃Lesson of Vietnam +there are limits on America’s ability to get its own way in the world ˃Nixon said the U.S. could no longer act as the “Lone Ranger” +opened relations with the People’s Republic of China ˃Détente +“relaxed” tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. +ended in 1979 when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan ˃Reagan +Soviet Union is an “evil empire” +“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” ˃Perestroika +restructuring of the Soviet economy and society +Soviets withdrew from Eastern Europe in On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Russian, Belarus, and Ukrainian republics declared that the Soviet Union no longer existed ˃Unipolar +the U.S. became the unrivaled world superpower

» A New World Order ˃President George H.W. Bush called for a new world order based on multilateralism ˃Multilateralism +the idea that major nations should act together ˃Gulf Operations, 1990 ˃Balkans, 1992 and 1999 » 9/11 & The War on Terrorism ˃Different targets +transnational organizations- Al Qaeda ˃“Axis of Evil”- Iraq, Iran, & North Korea ˃Preemptive war doctrine

» The Iraq War ˃Weapons of Mass Destruction ˃Changing public opinions ˃was opposed by many countries including Germany, France, Russia, and Belgium ˃Great Britain was our closest ally ˃2004 presidential campaigns

» The Policymaking Instruments ˃Diplomacy +process of negotiation between countries ˃Military Power +unilateral invasions- Grenada (1983), Panama(1989), Haiti (1994) +multilateral wars- Iraq (1991), Serbia (1995 & 1999), Afghanistan (2002) +nominally multilateral but basically unilateral invasion- Iraq (2003) ˃Economic Exchange +trade or assistance ˃Intelligence Gathering +monitoring other countries’ activities

» The Policymaking Machinery ˃National Security Council- part of the Executive office of the President +POTUS, vice president, SECDEF, SEC State, director CIA, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor +National Security Advisor can usually give the most balanced assessment of foreign and military policy issues ˃Defense Organizations +Department of Defense +Department of Homeland Security- created in 2002 to protect against terrorism +NATO ˃Intelligence Organizations +Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) +National Security Agency (NSA) +DOD, DHS, DOJ

» The Policymaking Machinery (cont.) ˃Diplomatic Organizations +Department of State +United Nations +Organization of American States (OAS) ˃Economic Organizations +World Bank +World Trade Organization (WTO) +International Monetary Fund (IMF)

» Defense Capability ˃Conventional forces +dozen aircraft carriers +nearly 100 attack subs +hundreds of fighting and supply ships +thousands of high performance aircraft +half a million troops on active duty +tanks, artillery, APC’s, and attack helicopters ˃High tech information/communication systems ˃Nuclear arsenal +deterrence- the ability to retaliate with a devastating attack of one’s own MAD +MAD- Mutually Assured Destruction

» The Uses of Military Power ˃Unlimited Nuclear Warfare +nuclear triad: land-based missiles, submarine-based missiles, & long-range bombers ˃Limited Nuclear Warfare +The threat of an all-out attack is less likely, while the chance of an attack with a single weapon has increased +Spread of nuclear technology to irresponsible regimes and terrorists ˃Unlimited Conventional Warfare ˃Limited Conventional Warfare ˃Counterinsurgency ˃Police-Type Action +drug-trafficking, illegal immigration, political instability, terrorism

» The Politics of National Defense ˃Public Opinion and Elite Conflict +defense policy is a mix of majoritarian an elite politics ˃The Military-Industrial Complex +President Eisenhower warned against the “unwarranted influence” of the “military-industrial complex” +is blamed for high levels of defense spending, although its influence is not actually known +U.S. defense budget in 2005 was roughly $400 billion +has three components: – Military Establishments » ex. Air Force’s B-1 Bomber – Arms Industry » ex. 5,200 subcontractors who build the B-1 – Members of Congress » ex. contractors are located in 48 states and all but a handful of congressional districts

» A Changing World Economy ˃The Marshall Plan +designed to confront the Soviet military and economic threat to West Europe +$3 billion in immediate aid for postwar building of Europe with $10 billion or so to follow (over $100 billion today) ˃The interdependent tripolar economic world +Three economic centers: – U.S. – Japan and China – the European Union

» America’s Global Economic Goals ˃Global Trade +Multinational Corporations – firms with major operations in more than one country +Economic Globalization – describes the increased interdependence of nations’ economies +Free-Trade Position – long-term economic interests of all countries are advanced when tariffs and other trade barriers are kept to a minimum – political leadership on free trade typically comes from the White House +Protectionism – emphasizes the interests of domestic producers and includes methods to enable them to compete successfully with foreign competitors – members of Congress can be protectionists when businesses in their home state or district are threatened by foreign competition – the U.S. wants to keep an open system of trade that will promote domestic prosperity +Job Losses – cheaper to do business abroad

Americans’ Opinions of the Effect of Global Trade on Jobs

» The Trade Deficit

» America’s Global Economic Goals, continued ˃Access to Natural Resources +Oil ˃Relations with the Developing World +Foreign Aid – accounts for about one percent of the federal budget – keeping the widening gap between the rich and poor countries from destroying the global economy +Human Rights Issues – China

» Global terrorism is a driving force. » Higher presence in the Middle East after 9/11. » South Asia » South America » China has passed Japan as the world’s 2 nd largest economy (…and will pass the U.S. in a few decades) » Freedom movements in the Middle East