Espino, Carla Divina B.

PS0931

American Foreign and Defense Policies

FOREIGN POLICY
o It refers to actions the United States government takes on behalf of its national interests abroad to ensure the security and well-being of Americans and the strength and competitiveness of the U.S. economy. A secure group of citizens requires protection of recognized national boundaries, a strong economy, and a stable, orderly society.

AFTER THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

In 1776, the United States was explicitly conceived in liberty and equality, in contrast to other nations where ascription and privilege were so important. It emerged as an essentially free society in a world that stressed authority and order. This new American state, to a large measure, was dynamic, classless and free, in contrast to Europe, which was largely classbound and restrictive. The early leaders of the new American state differed from their European counterparts in an important way: in the relationship between domestic values and foreign policy. Most of the new American leaders did not view foreign policy as having primacy over domestic policy in which the power and standing of the state must be preserved and enhanced at the expense of domestic well-being. Consequently, two foreign policy traditions quickly emerged: isolationism and moralism. The former is by reducing U.S involvement in world affairs and particularly those of Europe. The latter is by justifying U.S involvement abroad only for sufficient ethical reasons. Isolationism- many early Americans came to view foreign nations and especially European states with suspicion. They feared that the nations values would be compromised by other states and that international ties would only entangle the United States in alien conflicts. As a result, there was a severe restriction on treaty commitments that would bind the United States politically to other states. No agreements could be construed as entangling alliances, however, agreements entered by the United States served primarily to facilitate amicable trade relations with other states. Moralism- the role of moral values became an important feature on American policy-making. The balance-ofpower concept, which dominated policy-making in Europe since the inception of the nation-state system there, is predicated on several key assumptions. First, it assumes that all states are interested in preventing large-scale war and in preserving the existence of at least the major states in the international system. Second, it assumes that states are motivated to foreign policy behaviour by power considerations and national interests. Third, it assumes that there will be few domestic constraints preventing states from acting in political arena. United States rejected these assumptions of balance-of-power concept and asserted that foreign policy must be motivated by moral principles and not interests and power considerations.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND FOREIGN POLICY-MAKING

The Constitution divides the powers in foreign policy just as it divides powers throughout the government system. Under the Constitution, both the legislative and executive branches of government have been delegated specific foreign affairs powers. Each branch, oo, was directed to share some foreign policy responsibility with the other.

a. POWERS of the PRESIDENT

Under article 2 of the American Constitution, the president is granted several foreign policy powers. The president is to wear at least three different hats in foreign policy: chief executive, chief diplomat and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

b. The Department of State

Advice the president on foreign policy, represent the U.S government abroad and implement the policy decisions that emanate from Washington D.C.

c. The Department of Defense

The departments duties are the responsibility to conduct analyses, develop policies, provide advice, make recommendations and issue guidance on defense plans and programs.

d. The Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council

Both the CIA and the NSC were established by Congress in 1947 to solve perceived problems with the gathering and analysis of intelligence data.

e. The Department of Homeland Security

It is established in response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, into a Cabinet-level department. It is tasked with detecting, preparing for, preventing, protecting against, responding to and recovering from terrorist attacks.

THE CONGRESS
Under article 1 of the Constitution, congress is also granted several foreign policy powers. The congress has the right to make and modify any laws and to appropriate funds for the implementation of any laws. It has the right to provide for the national defense and to declare war. It is also delegated the responsibility to regulate international commerce.

TWILIGHT ZONE

In terms of: Warmaking

President Commander In Chief

Congress The power to declare war; to raise and support armies; to provide for the Common Defence provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur by and with the advice and consent of the Senate

Commitment Making

He shall have power...to make treaties He shall nominate...and shall appoint Ambassadors

Appointments

POLICIES ON: TRADE AND INVESTMENT

American economy is quite sensitive to changes in the rest of the world economy. In particular, changes in exports and imports affect their economy. For instance, increase in exports lead to higher employment and income inside U.S. although increasing imports may reduce domestic incomes and employment in the short term, they also tend to reduce prices. American trade policy on specific issues usually represents a compromise between two general conflicting approaches: a mercantilist or protectionist approach and a laissez-faire or liberal approach. Mercantilist approach focuses on benefits to be gained from exports. It views imports as undesirable because they directly threaten domestic income and employment. Thus, in the mercantilist view, a surplus balance of payment is desirable. On the other hand, laissez-faire is based in particular on the recognition that total welfare will be maximized if trade is allowed. Thus, a country will be best off if it tends to produce the exports goods and services that use its relatively abundant resources. The highly protectionist mercantilist policies that were adopted by the United States were substantially discredited when it was realized that they had contributed to the severe decline in economic activity during the Great Depression. So, American policies on trade and investment are now based on a laissez-faire or liberal approach for the past five decades.

DEFENSE SPENDING AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The defense-spending levels were directly responsive too changes in government revenues rather than changes in world politics. However, by 1991 the defense budget began to decline as a rate that prevented the individual branches of the armed services from carrying out the same functions and missions they performed during the Cold War. As a result of these changes, military readiness and effectiveness declined. However, though America claims that they cut the budget for their military or defense, it is still one of the countries that has arge military budget in the world.

America uses strategic nuclear arsenal to deter a nuclear attack on them. In this context, deterrence means minimizing the probability of attacks, not physically preventing it. Deterrence is based on the threat of launching a highly destructive retaliatory strike on the attacking country. The U.S has entered into a large number of nuclear arms control agreements. Those agreements are not agreements of non-proliferation but agreements to increase security, to save money and to improve political relations generally. In fact, the treaty on Nuclear Non-Proliferation is still not ratified by the U.S legislature. International competition leads them to deploy nuclear weapons in the pursuit of status and influence. Obviously, the balance-of-power concept they rejected after the American Revolution is not observed in this case. States recognize that they have a mutual interest in agreeing that neither will acquire more weapons. Thus, both can be better off if they cooperate through arms control agreements than if they separately seek to achieve superiority. In essence, arms control represents an attempt to avoid the alternative posed by the security dilemma. In the matrix below, arms control enable the countries to move to the upper left cell of the matrix, where they are both better off than they would be in the lower right cell, in arms race.

Arms control, relatively stable parity at relatively low deployment levels

United States Superiority

Other countrys superiority

Arms race, relatively unstable parity/superiority/inferiority at relatively high deployment levels

INTERVENTION, ASSISTANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The United States has conducted an economic assistance programs for more than three decades. They used economic assistance to try to achieve several economic and political objectives.

For one thing, increasing prosperity in other countries has commonly been viewed as a way to increase American exports. Economic aids also tend to create more favorable economic conditions for American investments, and it facilitates access to foreign fuel and mineral deposits. Political objectives, however, have been more important. Economic aids try to solicit support for a particular diplomatic initiative, sometimes to strengthen or weaken particular governments internal political position, sometimes to try to change a governments internal or foreign policies. The American response to violations of civil and political rights has generally been to ignore them. In fact, the U.S has been reluctant to give even its nominal and formal approval to human rights documents. Although the U.S voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, along with nearly all other UN members, it did not sign or ratify any of the additional human rights documents during the 1950s. This formal American opposition was largely a result of the Eisenhower administrations agreements with the American Bar Association position that human rights should be treated as domestic affairs not subject to international law. Human rights issues are normally obscure and secondary in foreign policy. Instead, economic and military considerations are typically given preponderant emphasis in American relations with other countries. THEREFORE, the moralism that the American claim is not carried out, at least to the intentions of their foreign policies.