American Foreign Policy Flashcards
America, The World, & The Reality
John Foster Dulles
Eisenhower’s Secretary of State
“The New Look” foreign policy
Force of Christianity and focus on nuclear weapons
What was The New Look designed to do?
Surround USSR with nuclear weapons, and US would strike if the USSR attempted to expand.
Sputnik
First satellite to be launched into space
When was Sputnik launched?
October 4th, 1957
Significance of Sputnik
Kickstarted the Space Race due to US fearing Russia would use space to launch nuclear weapons
How did foreign policy change in 1957?
The New Look was insufficient as massive retaliation would only lead to mutually assured destruction
Jacobo Arbenz
Elected leader of Guatemala in 1952
What % of Guatemala land did United Fruit Co. own?
80%
Why did US see Arbenz as a communist?
Arbenz wanted to redistribute unused land that Fruit Co. owned and redistribute it to citizens
When did CIA formed a coup to overthrow Guatemala govt?
1954
What form of government replaced Guatemala’s democracy after the coup?
Military govt. backed by US.
Who was president of Cuba in the 1940s?
Fulgencio Batista
What occurred in Cuba in 1959?
Fidel Castro led a revolution against the Cuban government and took control.
What led to tensions between Castro and the US?
Castro refused aid from US and began to work closely with the USSR.
When was the Bay of Pigs?
April 17th, 1961
Bay of Pigs
CIA trained Cuban exiles to invade Cuba to take down Castro through an amphibious invasion of Southern Cuba and then moving into the mountains.
Why did the Bay of Pigs fail?
Landing location was changed and was too far from the mountains. Exiles pinned by Cuban military.
When was Operation Mongoose
November 30th, 1961
Operation Mongoose
covert plan by CIA with goal of taking down Castro’s regime in Cuba.
When was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
October 16th, 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
USSR transporting and assembling medium-range and long-range nuclear missiles on Cuba.
Who took over Egypt after the military coup in 1952?
Gamal Abdel Nasser
What did Nessar want to build on the Nile River?
a hydroelectric dam
Why did Nessar refuse funding from the US for his dam?
Wanted both money and weapons
Why did Nessar seize the Suez Canal?
To use the fees ships paid to travel through it to fund his dam
Suez Canal
canal between the Red Sea and the Mediteranean jointly owned by the British and French
Britain and France’s response to the seizing of the Suez Canal
B & F attacked Egypt with help of Israel
USSR response to conflict over Suez Canal
Threatened Britain and France
Impact of US refusing to get involved in Suez Crisis?
- Weakens US standing in Europe
- Leads France to develop their own nuclear weapons to not rely on US
Who was the Iranian Prime Minister in 1953?
Mohammad Mossadegh
What was Mohammad Mossadegh’s main goal?
Nationalize oil companies and have Iranian oil under full control of Iran
What did CIA do in Iran in 1953?
Bought off military and mobsters in Iran’s capital to inspire pro-Shah revolution
Outcome of Iran coup in 1953
Shah crushes dissent in Tehran using US funding and weapons.
When was the Eisenhower Doctrine issued?
1957
Eisenhower Doctrine
Document proclaiming aid to any middle-eastern nation facing threat of communism
What kind of foreign policy did JFK advocate for?
Flexible military response that would be tailored to the threat
Why did Kennedy fund special forces?
To tackle smaller threats
Alliance for Progress
JFK’s policy to provide funding to Latin America to promote democracy and develop infrastructure reform.
What president started the bay of pigs operation?
Eisenhower
What did JFK request for the Bay of Pigs operation to ensure plausible deniability?
for US-funded equipment to be scrubbed of anything tying it to US
What did Bay of Pigs convince USSR of?
That America will do anything in their power to get rid of Castro
September 1962
Kennedy declared that the US would look at the USSR presence on Cuba as a significant threat to the US.
When did the US learn of the missiles on Cuba?
December 1962
Why did JFK want no part in the committee he assembled to find a solution to the missile crisis?
Feared his presence in the meetings might cause them to tailor their advice to his desires
What possible solutions did the missile crisis committee propose?
- Air force: air strikes.
- Army: invasion of Cuba.
- Seek out aid from UN and make it a diplomatic issue.
- Naval blockade of Cuba.
- Take no action as US had missiles pointed at heart of Soviet Union.
What solution did Kennedy adopt to handle the missile crisis?
Partial blockade of Cuba along with requesting aid from UN
Who handled UN negotiations about Russian missiles?
Addley Stevenson
