1. 17: Foreign Policy
Protecting the American Way

2. The Roots of U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy
Except within its own hemisphere, the United States was a mostly isolationist country before World War II
U.S. emerged as a fully internationalist country, deeply involved in world affairs
New global power structure was bipolar, the U.S. versus the Soviet Union
Cold war: not directly at war
Doctrine of containment: halting Soviet aggression with determined use of American power

3. The Cold War Era and Its Lessons
Containment
Aid for Greece
Combat in Korea and Vietnam
“Lesson of Vietnam”
Soviet Union’s collapse
Inefficient centralized economy; heavy defense spending
Mikhail Gorbachev undertook a restructuring, but too late
Initiative known as perestroika
Nearly all Soviet republics declared independence
United States became the sole superpower in the world’s new unipolar structure

4. The Post–Cold War Era and Its Lessons
George H. W. Bush advocated multilateralism— the idea that major nations should act together in response to problems and crises
Plan included a stronger role for multinational organizations such as the United Nations and NATO

5. The Air Wars of the 1990s Multilateralism of George G. H. W. Bush
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War, 1990
UN resolutions; multination combat force
Iraq’s Hussein driven from Kuwait but not from power
Multilateral action of Bill Clinton
Serbian aggression and war in the Balkans
Bosnia 1995
“Ethnic cleansing” in Kosovo 1999
U.S. and NATO air campaign
Dayton Accords

6. The War on Terrorism and the Afghanistan War
George W. Bush favored unilateral action
September 11, 2001: World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks
Overhaul of the U.S. national security bureaucracy
Creation of Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
2001 Afghanistan invasion
Taliban government was quickly toppled, but war dragged on
2009: extra troops deployed
2011: Osama bin Laden killed
2014: target date for withdrawal pushed back
Longest war in U.S. history

7. The Iraq War
George W. Bush’s new preemptive war doctrine: strike first, before a threat became imminent
Bush targeted the regime of Saddam Hussein
Strong international objection to military action
Invasion essentially an act of unilateralism
WMDs sought but not found
Iraq war lasted nine years
4,500 American troops killed
No assurance that the new Iraqi government would be on friendly terms with the United States

8. The Islamic State
Islamic State arose to fill the power vacuum left by chaos in Syria and U.S. troop withdrawals in Iraq
Group is also known as ISIS or ISIL
Brutally murdered captive Shiite Muslims and Christians
Declared its intention to establish a Caliphate
ISIS then beheaded two captured Americans
U.S. ramped up air attacks against ISIS
Military training advisors were deployed to Iraq
Terrorists aligned with ISIS have carried out attacks in Europe

9. A “Challenging” World Today’s threats to U.S. security are on the rise
Middle East is in turmoil
Russia is pursuing an aggressive foreign policy
China is conducting a military buildup
North Korea is pursuing nuclear weapons
Domestic terrorism is increasing

10. The Military Dimension of National Security Policy
Defense spending by the U.S. is the highest in the world
Accounts for roughly 35 percent of worldwide spending
Four times that of China
Nine times that of Russia

11. Worldwide Military Spending
The United States spends 36% of all the money spent worldwide on the military. China is second in military spending, but its expenditures are only a fourth of those of the United States—9% of the money spent worldwide.
Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2016.

12. Military Power, Uses, and Capabilities
U.S. forces train for different types of military action
Nuclear war
Conventional war
Unconventional (guerrilla) war
Transnational terrorism

13. Nuclear War
Deterrence policy pursued by the United States is based on the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD)
Any nation will be deterred from a nuclear attack on the U.S. by the knowledge that it too would be destroyed
U.S. maintains a “nuclear triad”
Land-based missiles
Submarine-based missiles
Bombers
Today’s great fear is that a rogue nation or terrorist group could get and use a nuclear weapon

14. Conventional War
United States is not postured for an all-out conventional war
U.S. armed forces are currently capable of two simultaneous medium-sized wars
Ground forces are undergoing a restructuring
Reduce conventional forces
Expand special forces and quick-strike capacity
America’s is an all-volunteer military that relies on highly advanced weapons systems

15. The All-Volunteer Military’s Recruits
Source: Adapted from Tim Kane, “Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits before and after 9/11,” Heritage Foundation, Center for Data Analysis Report #05-08, November 7, Used by permission of The Heritage Foundation.
The All-Volunteer Military’s Recruits
Today’s military is an all-volunteer force, and the states’ contributions vary significantly. The map indicates the degree to which each state is over- and underrepresented in the military, given in terms of the ratio of military recruits from a state to the number of males aged 18 to 34 in that state’s population.
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16. Unconventional (Guerrilla) War
Unconventional attacks and tactics
Hit and run
Roadside explosive devices
Suicide bombers
“Winning their hearts and minds”
U.S. military has struggled to adapt
Recent reforms are aimed at making the military better able to combat unconventional warfare

17. Transnational Terrorism
United States was not prepared before 9/11
Too few linguists
Efforts of intelligence agencies not focused on the threat of terrorism
War on terrorism must be fought by more than military forces
Not a new form of threat, but has been expanding
Transnational terrorism transcends national borders
War on terrorism is aimed at groups rather than at nations

18. The Politics of National Defense
Public opinion is generally supportive
Wanes if military conflict extends for a long period
Vietnam
Iraq
National security policy is principally set by the president and Congress
Defense industry also has a say
Eisenhower warned against the influence of the military-industrial complex—the military establishment, the arms industry, and the members of Congress from regions that are dependent on the arms industry

19. The Economic Dimension of National Security Policy
World has three major economic centers: the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim
U.S. has the world’s largest trade deficit
U.S. has many strengths
Innovation; financial institutions; higher education; economic diversity; agriculture; natural resources; growing energy independence
U.S. cannot “go it alone”
Must exert global economic influence

20. Expanding Foreign Trade
The Marshall Plan
Rebuilding war-torn Europe
Created markets for American products
Strengthening economies of Europe and Japan
Leveling of foreign trade
Since then, the U.S. has had a negative balance-of-trade
Economic globalization: increased interdependence of nations’ economies
Large U.S. firms had become multinational corporations

21. Figure 17-1 U.S. Balance of Trade
After World War II, the United States had a trade surplus. In recent years, as in every year since 1975, the United States has had a trade deficit, meaning that its imports have exceeded its exports.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Figures are constant 2010 U.S. dollars.

22. Free Trade vs. Protectionism
Global trade was limited by tariffs (import taxes)
Free trade movement began to grow
Businesses lobbied Congress for agreements on greatly reduced or no tariffs
At the same time, European nations were on a path to economic integration
1993: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Today, support is diminishing in both parties for free trade policies
Democratic lawmakers tend to be more protectionist

23. Trade with China China is America’s second-largest trading partner
Next to Canada
U.S. trade deficit with China is more than $250 billion annually
U.S. marketplace has helped fuel Chia’s economic growth
U.S. inflation has been held in check by inexpensive Chinese goods
Relationship concerns:
Artificially depressed value of the Yuan
U.S. treasury bonds held by China
China’s growing militarism

24. Assisting Developing Nations
Growing nations are market opportunities
U.S. provides developmental assistance in the form of direct foreign aid and indirect assistance
International Monetary Fund and World Bank
U.S. is a top source of foreign aid
Obstacles to greater foreign aid include Americans’ misconceptions
China’s influence is growing as it steps up its own foreign aid spending

25. Figure 17-2 Foreign Aid Spending, Perceived and Actual
Americans on average believe that the U.S. government spends 28 percent of its entire budget on foreign aid, whereas the reality is that only 1 percent of the budget is spent for that purpose.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2013.

26. Hard Power or Soft Power?
There are clear partisan differences when it comes to the instruments of national security policy, as indicated by recent polls that have asked Americans which programs they would prefer to cut as a means of reducing the federal budget deficit.
Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 22, 2013.

27. Protecting International Commerce
Trade depends on the free flow of goods, requiring open sea, air, and land routes
U.S. Navy patrols major shipping lanes
U.S. works to strengthen global financial markets
Subjected American banks to a “stress test” following the downturn of 2008, and encouraged and assisted other nations to do the same
Today the United States operates in a global economy marked by mutual dependence

28. Critical Thinking
Explain the difference between a bipolar international power structure and a unipolar one. Which one is containment doctrine associated with?
Contrast free trade and protectionism as approaches to global trade and competition. Identify policies associated with each one.
What are the two major objectives of U.S. foreign policy? What are the mechanisms for pursuing each of these objectives?

29. Long image descriptions
Appendix A

30. The All-Volunteer Military’s Recruits Appendix
The states with the highest recruitment ratio (1.20–1.67) are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
States with above average recruitment ratios (1.00–1.19) include Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
States with below average recruitment ratios (0.59–0.99) include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
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