AP Civics Chapter 17 Notes Foreign and Defense Policy: Protecting the American Way I. Introduction As America s involvement in Iraq illustrates, national security is an issue that ranges from military strength to economic vitality Through participation in economic policies that foster economic growth and international stability, the U.S. can secure the jobs and trade that contribute to the maintenance of a high standard of living National security rests on relations with actors outside rather than within the country; therefore, the chief instruments of national security policy differ substantially from those of domestic policy i. Diplomacy the process of negotiation between countries ii. Military power (Department of Defense) Since WWII, the United States has acted in the role of world leader, which has substantially affected its military, diplomatic, and economic policies The U.S. maintains a high degree of defense preparedness, which mandates a substantial level of defense spending and a worldwide deployment of U.S. conventional and strategic forces Changes in the international marketplace have led to increased economic interdependence among nations, which has had a marked influence on the U.S. economy and on America s security planning II. The Roots of U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy For nearly 50 years, U.S. defense policy was defined by conflict with the Soviet Union For decades, there had been two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States but now there is only one, the United States Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. has redefined its foreign and defense policies A strong domestic base is the key to success in the increasingly important global economy America s role in the world affaires was shaped by the age of superpower A. The United States as Global Superpower 1. Before WWII, the United States as an isolationist country a. Deliberately avoided a large role in world affairs b. From the war, a different America emerged 1) More land, sea, and air power than any other country in the world 2) A huge military industrial base, and several hundred overseas military bases 2. The United States had become an internationalist country a. Deeply involved in the affairs of other nations 1) The shift away from isolationism was evident in Americans attitude toward international organizations 3. Soviet Union was spreading communist parties in Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, and other countries) a. U.S. security policy was designed to contain Soviet power b. President Truman regarded the Soviet Union as an implacable ideological foe bent on global domination that could be stopped only by the forceful use of U.S. power c. The idea was the lesson of Munich, and it became the formulation of the doctrine of containment 1) Based on the idea that the Soviet Union was an aggressor nation that had to be stopped from achieving its global ambitions B. The Cold War and Vietnam 1. Developments in the 1940s embroiled the United States in a cold war with the Soviet Union a. The two nations did not actually engage in combat ( hot war ) but were locked in a deep seated hostility that 45 years 2. The structure of international power was bipolar (The United States against the Soviet Union) a. The U.S. supported the governments threatened by communist takeovers b. The U.S. backed the Nationalist government in China 1) Defeated in 1949 by Mao Zedong s communist force 3. A major turning point in U.S. foreign policy was the Vietnam War
a. As the conflict dragged on, American public opinion turned against the war 1) Contributing to President Lyndon Johnson s decision not to run for reelection in 1968 b. Public opinion forced President Nixon (1969) to aim not for victory, but for a gradual disengagement C. Disintegration of the Evil Empire 1. The lesson of Vietnam was that there were limits to the country s ability to assert its will in the world a. Nixon claimed that the U.S. could no longer act as the Lone Ranger for the free world, and he sought to reduce tensions with communist countries b. Nixon took a trip to the People s Republic of China in 1972 (first official contact with the country since the communist seized power in 1949) c. He also initiated the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) 1) Presumed that the United States and the Soviet Union each had an interest in retaining enough nuclear weapons to deter the other from an attack but neither side had an interest in an arms race that could lead to their mutual destruction d. President Ronald Reagan (1980) called for a renewed hard line toward the Soviet Union or evil empire 2. The Soviet Union was collapsing under its heavy defense expenditures, its isolation from Western technology and markets, and its inefficient centralized economy a. In 1989, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe accelerated a pro-democracy movement that was already under way in the region b. On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the Russian, Belarus, and Ukrainian republics declared that the Soviet Union no longer existed 3. The bipolar power structure that had dominated world politics since the end of WWII had collapsed a. The new structure was unipolar the United States was now the unchallenged world power D. A New World Order 1. The end of the cold war prompted the first President Bush in 1990 to call for a new world order a. Bush championed multilateralism 1) The idea that major nations should act together in response to problems and crises b. President Bush obtained a UN resolution that imposed economic sanctions on Iraq and demanded its withdrawal from Kuwait 1) Iraqi president Saddam Hussein refused, the UN force attacked (Gulf War) 2) Four days into the ground fighting, Iraqi units fled the battlefield ending the war 2. President Bush s multilateral approach to foreign affairs carried over into the Clinton administration a. President Clinton pursued UN economic sanctions as a means of halting the Serb atrocities in Bosnia, where tens of thousands of Muslims and Croats were murdered 1) When sanctions failed, the U.S. and its NATO allies attacked Serb forces with air power 2) The result was a U.S. negotiated peace agreement (the Dayton Accords) 3. Multilateralism has been only partly successful as a strategy for resolving international conflicts a. With the deployment of enough resources, the world s major powers can intervene with some success in the developing world 1) No guarantee of long-term success 2) Regional and internal conflicts typically stem from ethnic, religious, factional, or national hatreds, or from chronic problems (famine, overcrowding, or government corruption) E. The War on Terrorism 1. George W. Bush (2001) made it clear that he would not follow his father s national security policy a. Declared that he had no plans to engage in nation building, and would reduce America s military presence abroad as well as its reliance on the UN b. He announced that the U.S. would not participate in either the Kyoto Accord or the International Criminal Court 2. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon forced Bush to reverse course a. He called upon the other nations of the world to join the U.S. in a global war on terrorism 1) Targets groups engaged in terrorism that is aimed at U.S. interests at home and abroad 2) Waged through a wide variety of instruments, including military force, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, foreign aid, international cooperation, and immigration control
3. The war on terrorism resulted in the first major reorganization of the U.S. national security bureaucracy a. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002 to coordinate domestic efforts to protect the U.S. against terrorists threats 1) Responsibilities included securing nation s borders, enhancing defense against biological attacks, preparing emergency personnel, and coordinating efforts to stop domestic terrorism 4. In 2002, Bush labeled Iraq, Iran, and North Korea an axis of evil signaling a widening war on terrorism a. Preemptive war doctrine: United States could attack a potentially threatening nation even if the threat had not yet reached a serious and immediate level F. The Iraq War 1. Summer 2002, Bush targeted the regime of Iraq s Saddam Hussein a. Claiming that it had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and possibly nuclear weapons 1) WMDs: Chemical and biological weapons b. Bush asked Congress for a resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq 1) Congress passed the resolution 2. In late 2002, the UN passed a resolution that required Iraq to accept weapons inspections a. A two-track policy issued b. UN weapons inspectors entered Iraq in search of WMDs, while the U.S. deployed combat units to the Middle East 3. In March, 2003, President Bush ordered U.S. forces to attack Iraq a. Although British units were also involved, the assault was essentially an act of unilateralism 1) One nation takes action against another state or states b. Iraq regime collapsed, Hussein deposed III. The Military Dimension of National Security Policy A. Military Power, Uses, and Capabilities 1. Nuclear War Capability a. Deterrence policy is based on the notion that any nation would be deterred from launching a full-scale nuclear attack on the U.S. even if it obliterated the country, it would be destroyed as well b. America s nuclear weapons are deployed in what is called the nuclear triad 1) Three ways nuclear weapons can be launched: land based missiles, submarine based missiles, and bombers c. A greater fear today than nuclear war with Russia is the possibility that terrorist groups or rogue nations could smuggle a nuclear device into the U.S. and detonate it 2. Conventional and Guerilla War Capability a. Nuclear preparedness is just one part of America s combat readiness 1) A second is conventional-force preparedness b. The U.S. today has an all-volunteer military force with the training and armament needed to overwhelm any foe that would engage it in pitched battle 1) U.S. Navy: a dozen aircraft carriers, scores of attack submarines, and hundreds of fighting and supply ships 2) U.S. Air Force has thousands of high-performance aircraft, ranging from fighter jets to jumbo supply planes 3) U.S. Army has roughly five hundred thousand regular troops and more than three hundred thousand reserve and National Guard soldiers B. The Politics of National Defense 1. Policy elites, public opinion, and special interests all play significant roles in national defense policy a. The U.S. public typically supports the judgment of its political leaders on the use of military force b. When George W. Bush ordered the U.S. forces to invade Iraq in 2003, roughly 75% of Americans supported his decision 1) Support remains strong if the conflict is brief and not too costly c. If a conflict seems endless and if the human and financial toll keeps rising, public support eventually declines 1) Public opinion on the Iraq War soured quickly
2) Indications that the stated justification for the war was not the full reason for the military action 3) As public opinion became negative, the Bush administration s options narrowed 2. The public assumes that great decisions about war and military might are driven by considerations of national security a. National defense is big business, involving large annual expenditures and self-interested parties b. President Eisenhower warned Americans against unwarranted influences and misplaced power 1) Military Industrial Complex has three components i. The military establishment ii. iii. The arms industry Members of Congress from states and districts that depend heavily on the arms industry IV. The Economic Dimension of National Security Policy A. A Changing World Economy 1. Some aspects of the U.S. superpower policy have economic benefits a. The European Recovery Plan or the Marshall Plan 1) Boldest and most successful U.S. policy initiative of the 20 th century 2) Committed funds to rebuild Europe 3) Unprecedented in scope and implications 4) Also met the economic needs of the United States 2. In economic terms, the world today is tripolar power is concentrated in three centers a. United States 1) Produces roughly 20% of the world s goods and services b. Japan and China 1) Accounts for more than 15% of the world s economy c. 27 Countries of the EU (European Union) 1) Dominated by Germany, Britain, and France 2) More than 25% of the world s economy 3. The American economy is the best balanced 4. The United States is also more economically competitive than are its major trading rivals a. The U.S. owes this position to factors such as the strength of its domestic economy and its technological know-how B. America s Global Economic Goals 1. The broad goals of the United States in the world economy a. Maintaining access to energy and other natural resources vital to the strength of the U.S. economy b. Sustaining a stable and open system of trade that will promote prosperity at home c. Keeping the widening gap between the rich and poor countries from destabilizing the world economy 2. Access to Natural Resources a. The United States is rich in natural resources but it is not self-sufficient b. Oil is the main problem, domestic production provides only about half the nation s need 1) Oil is the engine of American society, powering the economy and providing fuel for automobiles and heat for homes and offices 2) For decades, the U.S. has used its economic and military power to protect its access to oil c. Outside the United States, most of the world s oil is found in the Middle East, Latin America, and Russia 3. Promoting Global Trade a. The American economy today depends more heavily on international commerce than at any time in the past b. Nearly all large U.S. firms are multinational corporations, with operations in more than one country c. Economic globalization describes the increased interdependence of nations economies
1) The change is a result of technological, transportation, and communication advances that have enabled firms to deploy their resources around the globe d. In general, international commerce works best when countries trade freely with one another 1) Keeps prices of traded items, whether finished goods or raw materials, at lowest level (economic efficiency) e. The free-trade position holds that the long-term economic interests of all countries are advanced when tariffs, quotas, and other trade barriers are kept to a minimum 1) NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) f. Protectionism, as opposed to the free-trade position, emphasizes the immediate interests of domestic producers and includes measures designed to enable them to compete successfully with foreign competitors in the domestic market 4. Relations with the Developing World a. Although political instability in the less developed countries can disrupt world markets, they also offer marketplace opportunities b. Since WWII, the United States has been the leading source of aid to developing countries c. Public opinion is an obstacle to higher levels of spending on foreign aid V. A New World Although economic interests are a driving force in U.S. foreign policy, global terrorism has become America s top priority i. After September 11, 2001, the world will never be the same ii. The U.S. attack on Iraq in 2003 was premised on the assumption that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons that could be funneled into the hands of anti-american terrorists One of the largest changes has been in a direction the terrorists had not predicted 1. With the September 11 attacks, they sought to force the United States to reduce its presence in the Middle East and in the Arab world generally. 2. The effect has been the opposite (a reinvigoration of engagement)