Analyze the various ways that United States foreign policy is carried out.

As noted in the beginning of this lesson, nations do not generally resort to violence to resolve their disputes with other nations. In fact, the United States, although it is arguably the world’s only remaining superpower, uses a wide variety of foreign policy tools to resolve conflict and promote cooperation with other nations. In addition to military actions, the United States engages in diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian efforts to achieves its goals in the international arena.

Diplomatic Relations

The United States sends ambassadors to and accepts ambassadors from almost every nation in the world. (In cases where the United States does not exchange ambassadors with another country, there are often reasons for not doing so. Refusing to officially recognize the legitimacy of the government in another nation, for example, is a powerful foreign policy tool in and of itself.) In most cases, the first response to a serious dispute or conflict with another nation is to make formal diplomatic contact and discuss the issue. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, the president, ambassadors, or other diplomatic officers will meet with their counterparts and attempt to identify the key dimensions of the conflict. By sitting together at the same table in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect, most disputes can be resolved through dialogue and compromise.

In many instances, the compromises or agreements the United States makes with other nations are formally adopted in both nations by making a treaty. In its history, the United States has entered into hundreds of treaties with other nations on issues ranging from bringing a peaceful end to hostilities to detailed trade agreements. In cases where a mutually agreeable resolution to a conflict cannot be achieved, the United States will sometimes exert diplomatic pressure on other nations through coalitions with other nations or, more formally, through organizations like the United Nations or the World Trade Organization. In some cases, the United States even offers to fill an advisory function as nations attempt to establish democratic institutions and processes. These efforts have been undertaken independently as well as in cooperation with other nations.

Economic and Humanitarian Policy

Because the United States economy is the largest and most vibrant in the world, it is a natural leader in international economic policy. Moreover, because of the impact of the U.S. economy on other nations, it can exert significant influence on other nations through its internal and external economic policies. Trade agreements and treaties as well as import/export guidelines or restrictions are powerful tools in the American foreign policy toolbox. When the United States formally endorses and participates in economic boycotts or sanctions against other nations, the impact is even more significant.

To contribute to economic development and democratization in other nations, the United States gives a significant amount of foreign financial aid, usually in the form of low-interest loans, each year. The United States also gives billions of dollars in humanitarian aid every year to less fortunate nations. Sending food, medical supplies, or other goods and services where they are needed not only makes friends for the United States but also contributes to a stable global political economy.

 

     

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