Competency 3.5 - analyze the guiding concepts, principles, and effects of US foreign policy Flashcards
isolationism
one of the earliest guiding concepts and principles of US foreign policy, this principle basically states that nations seek to avoid alliances and communication with other nations, whether it be for economic, political, or social reasons
non-interventionism
a diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid military/political alliances with other nations to avoid bring drawn into unnecessary war
monroe doctrine
passed in 1823, states that the United States would not interfere in European affairs and it would oppose any European attempts to colonize the Americas, further emphasizing the desire to avoid involvement in foreign affairs that Washington and other founding fathers warned against
trade reciprocity
states that the United States would treat foreign countries the same way that it was treated
manifest destiny
sought to settle the continent coast to coast, arguing that the United States had a divine obligation to civilize the continent and control its riches
hegemony
political dominance
open door policy
allowed all nations equal trading access in china
roosevelt corollary
passed in 1904 as a response to the monroe doctrine, this stated that the United States would intervene in the domestic affairs of any weak or negligent state in the carribean or central america to keep them free of outside forces that might seek to take them over
fourteen points
drafted by president Wilson, these policies were designed to act as a basis for major post-war settlement
league of nations
advocated by president Wilson, this group would assist in resolving all future conflicts before they caused another war; ironically, congress refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, which had provided for its creation
wilsonianism
the idea of spreading democracy and peace under American auspices
kellogg-briand pact
wilsonianism effort designed to ouright ban war passed in 1928
four freedoms
according to president F. Roosevelt in 1941, these are the freedoms of speech and religion, and freedoms from want and fear
lend-lease act
allowed the United States to assist countries whose defense was seen as vital to the US by lending or leasing them war supplies, materials, and equipment
united nations
created by FDR and the allied powers during world war II to guarantee the security of member nations and promote economic prosperity around the globe
containment policy
coined by state department staffer George Kennan, this premise states that the United States must apply counterforce to any aggressive moves by the societ union; implemented in the truman doctrine
truman doctrine
an attempt by the United States to cradt its foreign affairs around the idea to resist communism and oppose the societ union
iron curtain
political, military, and ideological barrier that separated the soviet union and its dependent eastern and central European allies from contact with the west and non-communist areas
marshall plan
a Truman initiative to pump billions of dollars into western europe to help rebuild it and its economies to make it strong enough to prevent communistic takeover
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
foreign military and political alliance; the first time the US joined an alliance unprovoked by war
domino theory
belief that if one region came under communist influence, the surrounding nations would follow suit
cuban missile crisis
confrontation in 1962 between US and USSR due to USSR attempting to store nuclear weapons in Cuba, a mere 90 miles from US soil
gulf of tonkin resolution
passed in 1964, provided president L. Johnson with broad legal authority to combat north veitnamese aggression, increasing troop numbers from 75k to 125k
détente
an easing of tensions between the United States and Societ Union
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)
passed in 1972 as part of détente, this agreement between US and USSR limited nuclear weapons
helsinki accords
a meeting with the heads of many major governments in 1975 that left Europe and Russia at a standstill due to the geographical location
carter doctrine
states the persian gulf is an area of vital US interest and that the US would fight to maintain its interests there
glasnost
policy that implemented a more open and vocal government in the USSR by Mikhail Gorbachev
perestroika
policy that implemented economic restructuring in the USSR by Mikhail Gorbachev
dayton accords
an attempted (and failed) settlement between Serbs and Albanians, leading to the first NATO-issued attack on Serbia
war on terrorism
president Bush’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, this declaration of war was not on any specific country or place, but on any country giving any assitance to large, international terrorist organizations
bush doctrine
the policies of the US began to change from reactive strategies of containment and deterrance to a more proactive policy of preemptive military action due to this document
obama doctrine
emphasized negotiation and collaboration over confrontation ans unilateralism
foreign policy
involved the objectives nations seek to gain with reference to other nations, and the procedures they employ in order to achieve their objectives
actors
primary players of foreign policy, such as nations, world organizations, and non-state ethnic entities
unitary/rational actor model
assumes that all nations or primary players share similar goals and approach foreign policy issues in like fashion
bureaucratic model
assumes that, due to the many large organizations involved in formulating foreign policy, particularly in powerful nation-states, final decisions are the result of struggle among the bureaucratic actors
diplomacy
involves communicating with other primary players through official representatives, and can include participation in conferences, summit meetings, and exchange of official communications; an indispensable tool in the successful conduct of an entity’s foreign policy
Peace of Westphalia (1648)
generally recognized as the conclusion of Europe’s thirty years war and ended the authority of the Roman Catholic popes to exert their political dominance over secular leaders and gave birth to the concept of the modern nation-state
golden age of diplomacy
nickname given to eighteenth century europe as this era was relatively stable, and moderation/shared cultural values on the part of the decision-makers were the rule
nation-states
legal entities occupying well-defined geographic areas and organized under a common set of government institutions
non-state actors / principal players
movements or parties that function as independent states; although lacking sovereignty, these groups could weild more power than some less-developed nation-states
non-territorial transnational organizations
institutes such as the carholic church that conduct activities throughout the world but whose aims are largely nonpolitical, even though they are highly influential
intergovernmental organization
groups such as the United Nations and NATO made up of nation-states that can wield significant power on the international scene
new world order
concept that involves alliances that transcend the old bipolr scheme with its emphasis on ideology military superiority and calls for multinational cooperation (as seen in the persian gulf war)
hierarchical system
government where one unit dominates, like the Holy Roman Empire
diffuse system
government where power and influence are distributed among a large number of units, such as the case with most of 18th century Europe
sovereignty
supreme power or authority; jurisdiction
Hugo Grotius
dutch scholar and statesman that codified the laws of war and peace, and has been called the “father of international law”
international court of justice
original judicial arm of the United Nations
permanent court of international justice
modern judicial arm of the United Nations; represents concerted efforts to to replace armed conflict with the rule of law; proven to be very ineffective
mutual self-advantage
a way of ensuring effective enforcment of international law where complaince comes from attempting to (slightly) satusfy each party
fear of reprisal
a way of ensuring effective enforcment of international law where complaince comes from a fear of losing peace and quiet
