American Foreign Policy

What is Foreign Policy?The decisions and non-decisions that are

perceived to give widely distributed benefits and impose widely distributed costs in relation to the United States’ treatment of other nations and the

reflected interests of group and client politics . (J)

Types of Foreign Policy

• Majoritarian Politics– Going to war

• Client Politics– Aid to corporations

• Interest Group Politics– Tariff decisions

• Entrepreneurial Politics– International scandal(J)

What & who affects Foreign Policy?

• President (and advisors)

• Institutions• Groups (interest and

non-interest)• Elite opinions• However, individual

states have little say in foreign policy matters

(J)

President• Foreign policy often tops

presidential agenda• Congress often approves of

the President’s foreign policy decisions

• The Supreme Court has held that the President has special powers in relation to foreign policy

• People follow president’s decisions blindly– Especially when the U.S. is

attacked and the president’s approval ratings rise

(J)

Advisors

• Secretary of State• Vice President• Secretary of Defense• Director of the CIA• Joint Chiefs of Staff• Attorney General(J)

The Constitution and Legal Context of the President’s Power in Foreign Policy • The authority of president and

Congress in foreign affairs brings constant struggle.

• The power shared by the president and Congress can lead to conflict.

• Congress must authorize and appropriate money for military action, ratify treaties (Senate), and declare war.

• The president is commander and chief, appoints ambassadors and can authorize police actions

(J)

Checks on the President’s Foreign Policy Power

• Checks on the powers of the federal government or the president in foreign affairs are more political than constitutional

• the most important check is Congress’s control on money

• Congress has imposed three important kinds of restrictions on the president’s freedom of action, all since Vietnam: – limitations on the president’s

ability to give military or economic aid to other countries

– The War Powers Act– Intelligence oversight (J)

Institutions

• Many political bureaucracies help form foreign policy

• It is shaped by almost every agency in the U.S.– CIA, Department of

Labor, Department of Agriculture, etc.

(J)

Groups

Interest Groups:• Labor Unions– Foreign trade, tariffs

• Corporations– Oil companies

Other organized groups:• Client politics– Jewish-Americans and

Israel(J)

Opinions of the Elite

• Public opinion in regards to foreign policy is easily manipulated

• The general public tends to be restricted in knowledge of foreign policy and its effects

• The media can be used to uphold elite opinion– Gatekeeper(J)

What is America’s current foreign policy status?

1. America as a regulator or mediator for US benefit.

2. America engages in foreign conflict if threatened by some form of aggression.

(C)

President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chinese President Hu Jintao (F)

What are two events or pieces of legislation

that contributed to this position?

The Iranian Hostage Crisis

What was the Iranian Hostage Crisis?• 1953 Iranian

Coup’d’Etat – US put in Pahlavi as shah

• 1979 Revolution, Iranians overthrew the government and the shah fled to the US

• Iranian students stormed American Embassy and took US hostages

• 51 hostages held for 444 days (E)

What was America’s response?• President Carter imposed

economic sanctions and tried to make negotiations

• Carter attempted a secret mission attack– Failed due to dust storm and

other problems– Major humiliation for US (E)

• Public’s want for media coverage extended the 6:30 daily news to Nightline– Media caused a public racial

dislike to Muslims– Media incited dislike to Carter,

largely led to his loss in his second election

• Reagan’s campaign worked with European officers to release hostages– Released on his inauguration (G)

What was the impact of the Iranian Hostage Crisis on current foreign policy?

• TV now plays a major role in public opinion– Influences political

agenda

• US always hostile towards Iran– Keeps a constant check

on Iran and watches out for any acts of terrorism

– Use force or impose sanctions if US feels any signs of threats (F)

Where do we stand today?• Use Iran for oil• UN has four sanctions

imposed on Iran– Will make it difficult for

Iran to try to build nuclear weapons – a major concern

• US has several sanctions that keep a tight hold on Iran’s economy

• Wikileaks leaked that Gulf Arab wants US to attack Iran (F)

September 11th

What was 9/11?• Terrorist attacks on the

World Trade Center & the Pentagon.

• Over 3,000 innocent civilians were killed (B)

• Attacks headed by Osama bin Laden and the militant group called Al Qaeda

• Not an act of aggression by a country but by a militant group (H)

What was America’s Response?• Large amount of confusion• 62% initially favored aggressive

action• 66% favored a cautious

approach• Created mass amounts of

legislation in response to public – Ex: Patriot Act

• Engaged in war in Afghanistan, more specifically Al Qaeda

(B)

President Bush signing legislation in response to 9-11

What was the impact of 9/11 on current foreign policy?

• Totally switched American agenda• Questioned American citizens• Post-Sept. 11 era 88% of

Americans rate "taking measures to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks" as a top foreign policy priority.

• Instantaneous credibility from US allies

• Bush administration pushed opportunity to Iraq War

American Soldier in Iraq

(A)

Where do we stand today?• Originally protective,

defensive environment• Now aggressive opportunistic

nation with militaristic power.• Still fighting two wars in the

Middle East• Loss of international respect• Increased debt and domestic

issues• Anti-American sentiment

What will be the most important foreign policy issue in the future?

• Terrorism and the War on Terror

• These will present a problem because the U.S. isn’t facing obvious enemies, like other countries (D)– The enemies are small

covert groups all over the world

• Terrorism is a result of a “clash of civilizations” (D)

Why is this issue important?

• It concerns the safety of the American people

• It has had an effect on the lives of Americans:– 1993 World Trade

Center bombings– Christmas Day plane

bombing attempt– Times Square bombing

Depiction of a car bomb

What will happen if this issue isn’t addressed?

• It could lead to increased violence and death in America

• Relations between the U.S. and other countries could worsen

• According to Huntington, more war is a definite possibility (D)

The different civilizations of the world,which Huntington believes will cause

future conflict and violence

What should be done to solve the issue of terrorism?

• Increase national security• Improve relations with

other nations and create more alliances

• Heed Huntington’s warning and recognize the importance of trying to understand and sympathize with other civilizations (D)

Works ConsultedA)"Consider the Historical Significance of 9/11 – CNN.” CNN.com. Cable News Network, 11 Sept.

2005. Web. 12 Jan. 2011.B)"Foreign Policy Attitudes Now Driven by 9/11 and Iraq: Overview." Pew Research Center for the

People & the Press. Pew Research Center, 18 Aug. 2004. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. C)"Global Connections U.S. Foreign Policy." PBS.org. Public Broadcasting Service, 2002. Web. 12

Jan. 2011.D)Huntington, Samuel P. "The Clash of Civilizations?" AP Government. Greenwich High School AP

Government, 10 Sept. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2011.< http://apgovernment.greenwich.wikispaces.net/file/view/Clash+of+Civilizations.pdf>

E)“Iran Hostage Crisis.” USHistory.com. US History, 2000. Web. 12 January 2011.F)“Iran Nuclear Issue.” BBC.com. BBC News. Web, 10 Jan 2011. 12 January 2011G) Murphy, Jarrett. “Headlines from ‘Hell.’” CBSNews.com CBS News, 2001. Web. 12 January

2011.H)Watters, Steve. "Significance of 9/11?" Boundless Line. 11 Sept. 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. I)"Who's Who in China's Leadership." China.org. China Internet Information Center. Web. 12

Jan. 2011. J)Wilson, James Q., and John J. DiIulio, Jr. American Government. 9th ed. New York: Houghton

Mifflin, 2004. Print.

American Foreign PolicyMaddie Harrison, Ally Hay

Kristin Meyering and Rachel Stinebaugh