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Magruder’sMagruder’sAmerican GovernmentAmerican Government

Magruder’sMagruder’sAmerican GovernmentAmerican Government

C H A P T E R 17Foreign Policy and National Defense

Isolationism to InternationalismIsolationism to Internationalism

• For more than 150 years, the American people were chiefly interested in domestic affairs, or what was happening at home.

• Foreign affairs, or the nation’s relationships with other countries, were of little or no concern.

• Isolationism, the purposeful refusal to become generally involved in the affairs of the rest of the world, was American policy during this time.

• Since World War II, however, U.S. policy has featured a broadening of American involvement in global affairs.

Foreign Policy DefinedForeign Policy Defined

Chapter 17, Section 1Chapter 17, Section 1

• A nation’s foreign policy is made up of all the stands and actions that a nation takes in every aspect of its relationships with other countries.

• The President, the nation’s chief diplomat and commander in chief of its armed forces, has traditionally carried the major responsibility for both the making and conduct of foreign policy.

The State DepartmentThe State Department

Chapter 17, Section 1Chapter 17, Section 1

• The State Department is headed by the secretary of state, who ranks first among the members of the President’s Cabinet.

• An ambassador is a personal representative appointed by the President to represent the nation in matters of diplomacy.

• The State Department issues passports, certificates issued to citizens who travel or live abroad.

• Diplomatic immunity is usually applied to ambassadors and means that they are not subject to the laws of state to which they are accredited.

The Defense DepartmentThe Defense Department

Chapter 17, Section 1Chapter 17, Section 1

This chart shows the chain of command of the American military services.

The Military DepartmentsThe Military Departments

The Department of the Army

• The army is the largest and the oldest of the armed services.

• The army consists of standing troops, or the Regular Army, and its reserve units—the Army National Guard and Army Reserve.

Chapter 17, Section 1Chapter 17, Section 1

The Department of the Navy

• The navy’s major responsibilities are for sea warfare and defense.

• The U.S. Marine Corps, a combat-ready land force, are under the auspices of navy command.

The Department of the Air Force

• The air force is the youngest branch of the armed services.

• The air force’s main responsibility is to serve as the nation’s first line of defense.

Chapter 17, Section 2Chapter 17, Section 2

The CIA and the INSThe CIA and the INS

The CIA

• The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a key part of the foreign policy establishment.

• The CIA is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting information for the President and the NSC.

• A full range of espionage, or spying, activities are undertaken by the CIA.

The INS

• The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) deals with persons who come to the United States from abroad to live and work, and who may become naturalized citizens.

• The INS enforces immigration laws and requirements and administers benefits to immigrants.

NASA and the Selective ServiceNASA and the Selective Service

NASA

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the independent agency which deals with the nation’s space policy.

The Selective Service

• The Selective Service System handles, when necessary, the conscription—or draft—of citizens for service in the armed forces.

Chapter 17, Section 2Chapter 17, Section 2

Two New PrinciplesTwo New Principles

Deterrence

• Deterrence is the policy of making America and its allies so militarily strong that their very strength will deter—discourage, or even prevent—any attack.

Collective Security

• Collective security, approached by the United States following World War II, involves a world community in which most nations would agree to act together against any nation that threatened the peace.

Chapter 17, Section 3Chapter 17, Section 3

Resisting Soviet AggressionResisting Soviet Aggression

The cold war was a period of more than 40 years during which relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were tense, but did not result in direct military action between

the two.

Chapter 17, Section 3Chapter 17, Section 3

The Truman DoctrineThe Truman Doctrine established the policy of containment, an effort to“contain” the spread of communism throughout the nations of the world.

The Berlin BlockadeIn 1948, the Soviet Union cut off allland transit to West Berlin. TheUnited States responded with anairlift of goods to the city.

The Cuban Missile CrisisIn 1962, it was discovered that theSoviet Union was building missileson the island of Cuba. A heatedstand-off between the Soviet Unionand America ensued.

The Korean WarThe Korean War was fought underthe auspices of the United Nationsafter the forces of communist NorthKorea invaded South Korea.

The War in VietnamThe United States dedicatedthousands of troops in an effort toresist aggression by communistforces in Vietnam.

Foreign AidForeign Aid

Chapter 17, Section 4Chapter 17, Section 4

• Foreign aid—economic and military aid to other countries—has been a basic feature of American foreign policy for more than 50 years.

• Most aid has been sent to those nations regarded as the most critical to the realization of this country’s foreign policy objectives.

• Most foreign aid money must be used to buy American goods and products.

Security AlliancesSecurity Alliances

Other Alliances

• The United States is also part of the Rio Pact with Canada and Latin America, the ANZUS pact with Australia and New Zealand, as well as other pacts in the Pacific region.

• The United States has also taken an active interest in the actions that unfold in the Middle East, although America is not part of any formal alliance in the region.

Chapter 17, Section 4Chapter 17, Section 4

NATO

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed to promote the collective defense of Western Europe.

• Today, NATO’s purpose has changed. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO’s goals have broadened to include peacekeeping roles, such as in the Balkans, and establishing a continued relationship with Russia.

The United NationsThe United Nations

Chapter 17, Section 4Chapter 17, Section 4

• The United Nations was formed following World War II to promote peace and security across the globe.

• The General Assembly acts as “the town meeting of the world.”

• Oversight and maintenance of international peace is delegated to the UN Security Council, of which the United States is a permanent member.

• Peacekeeping missions, international aid to children and women, and investigations and aid for world health services are all examples of current United Nations functions.