Unit VIII Final Project - Essay Example

The United States' foreign policy can be described as the manner in which the country interacts with the foreign nations (Biddle, 2015). It also sets the standards of interactions for the United States agencies, corporations, and organizations. The purpose of the foreign policy is the protection of the United States liberty (Biddle, 2015). Its goals include the preservation of the national security and the promotion of the world peace and safeguarding the global environment. Another goal is the maintenance of a balance of power among various nations and also collaborates with allies to find solutions to the international problems (Taft, 2012). There is also the need to promote democratic values and human rights in addition to ensuring cooperative foreign trade. The United States foreign policy entails the statements and actions that are directed towards the foreign audience (Foreign Policy, 2017). Through this policy, the state chooses strategies for interaction with other foreign nations. Essential, United States foreign policy tries to include other states governments to reshape their behavior, and the foreign audience includes other governments, non-state actors, and international organizations. There has been the advancement of globalization, and unilateral American power may not be sufficient for the sustenance of benefits of this concept (Foreign Policy, 2017). In the past, World War, the Great Depression and the Russian Revolution impeded interactions that had emerged in the twentieth century. In the present, globalization is dependent on the internationalization of trade and appropriate financial organizations. There is the need for the cooperation of others in the extension, development, and improvement of these institutions (Foreign Policy, 2017). This means that globalization has broadened the United States foreign policy. The moral sensibilities have been offended by infectious diseases, poor governance, and poverty in addition to presenting a potential security threats. Failed and failing nations affect not only their country residents but also the American citizens. Through the foreign policy, United States develops strategies that promote prosperity and good governance. It also creates effective international organizations and arrangements to deal with new challenges.

At some point in the history of United States, the country has favored internationalist or isolationist strategies as influenced by the country's foreign policy (Crothers, 2018). This means that the United States has been divided between isolationism and internationalism. The countries foreign policy goals at the time experienced a significant shift in which it started favoring a more direct interventionist view instead of isolationism. Looking at the internationalism in the United States foreign policy, it important to note there has been the emergence of varying meanings over time (Crothers, 2018). This strategy has been associated various forms of contact in the global environment and the interaction becoming more extensive and political. To promote internationalism, the foreign policy created political commitments through the institution of multinational treaties as well as being a member of international agencies (Kuehl & Ostrower, 2013). It has also promoted official and unofficial non-political activities which are either social, economic, cultural or scientific. Recently, the American foreign policy has entailed a doctrine of responsibility both unilaterally and multilaterally (Kuehl & Ostrower, 2013). There are various ways the media can use to influence the government concerning the foreign policies. This includes stimulations of changes in elite attitudes and creation of foreign policy issues that need to be addressed.

The United States Constitution has provided for the invitation to struggle between the three branches of the government in the foreign policymaking. In comparison to other liberal democratic nations, the US conducts foreign policy in a way which can be considered cumbersome (Foreign Policy Association, 2018). There is the creation of safeguards in the Constitutions that eliminate tyranny. The American foreign policy can be described as the country's expression of its goals concerning the world and how it strategizes to realize them. It shows the interest of the nation and the direction on the ways of interacting with other nations. There is the creation of a political system in which there is a division of power between the executive, legislature and the judiciary (Foreign Policy Association, 2018). In addition to ensuring checks and balances, the framers of United States Constitution ensured the presence of invitation to struggle concerning the making of the country's foreign policy. This struggle over which branches have the ultimate foreign policy decision making policy. This has been characterized by the debate between the presidency, Congress, and other governmental agencies (Joyner, 2010). The invitational struggle ensures that each branch of the government can check the other. For instance, the President has veto power over the legislature and Congress has the override power over the Presidents veto. Additionally, the judiciary can make a declaration that the act of President or Congress law is unconstitutional. In the 21st century, American foreign policy is mostly influenced by domestic policies (Joyner, 2010). The Congress legislates foreign policy since it can impose sanctions on other countries. The legislature is given the power to declare war.

References

Biddle, C. (2015). U.S. Foreign Policy: What's the Purpose? - The Objective Standard. The Objective Standard. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2015-summer/u-s-foreign-policy-whats-the-purpose/

Crothers, L. (2018). The cultural roots of isolationism and internationalism in American foreign policy. Journal of Transatlantic Studies, 9(1), 21-34.

Foreign Policy Association: How U.S. Foreign Policy is made. (2018). Fpa.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from http://fpa.org/features/index.cfm?act=feature&announcement_id=45&show_sidebar=0

Foreign Policy: What Now? [ushistory.org]. (2017). Ushistory.org. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from http://www.ushistory.org/gov/11a.asp

Joyner, J. (2010). Constitution: An Invitation to Struggle. Outsidethebeltway.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/constitution-an-invitation-to-struggle/

Kuehl, W., & Ostrower, G. (2013). Internationalism. Americanforeignrelations.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/E-N/Internationalism.html

Taft, R. (2012). What Are the Purposes <br />of a Foreign Policy? The American Conservative. Retrieved 20 January 2018, from http://www.theamericanconservative.com/repository/what-are-the-purposes-of-a-foreign-policy/