616 Chapter 17 | Foreign Policycompetition. Many of their workers have been laid off or have taken incentives to quit
their jobs or retire early rather than face an uncertain future of layoffs and wage cuts. At
the same time, Americans enjoy cheaper prices for many products that can now be sold
in U.S. markets.
Many Americans expect foreign policy to be an area of consensus—believing that
as Americans we hold similar ideas of what our country should be doing outside our
borders. As a result, many Americans agree with Senator Arthur Vandenberg, who is
often credited for the saying “Politics stops at the water’s edge.” Americans tend to see
disagreement over foreign policy as somehow unpatriotic. But as the trade example
suggests, foreign policy choices create winners and losers, just as in the domestic
arena. Lowering trade barriers made some Americans better off and some worse off.
The same is true for Donald Trump’s trade policies, and this would be the case even if
they worked as advertised.
Foreign policy is political even in the case of national security. Should America
intervene in the Syrian civil war, and if so, should its goal be to replace the government,
prevent attacks on civilians, or eliminate the terrorist organization ISIL (Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant) that occupied some Syrian territory? Are diplomacy and economic
sanctions the right response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, or is a military
attack warranted? And after two decades of combat operations against the Taliban
in Afghanistan, is it time for America to withdraw its forces and leave the Afghan
population on its own? These examples illustrate that we should expect disagreement
over America’s foreign policy, including between the political parties, inside the
executive branch, and even between civilians and military personnel. Although these
debates often have political consequences, with positions sometimes taken for political
gain, in the main they reflect sincere differences of opinion. In this way, foreign policy
closely resembles domestic policy.
The reality of disagreement about foreign policy options raises the question of
how these differences are resolved. Are President Trump’s unilateral moves to reshape
America’s trade policy an exception or the rule? What is the role of Congress, the Courts,
and the bureaucracy in the making of foreign policy? Where does public opinion enter into
this process? Who gets to decide America’s foreign policy? How is foreign policy made?What is foreign policy?
“Foreign policy” refers to government actions that affect countries, corporations,
groups, and individuals that lie outside America’s borders. Foreign policy includes
military operations, economic interactions, human rights policies, environmental
agreements, foreign aid, helping build or sustain democratic systems, interventions
in civil wars and other conflicts, and international efforts to limit weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs), including nuclear weapons.Foreign policy principles and perspectives
Foreign policy actions are often rooted in general principles or rules that guide people
or nations in their decision making. These principles and rules capture the decision to
act, whether America acts alone or with other nations, and the motivations for actions.
(See Nuts & Bolts 17.1 for a summary of these guiding principles.)DESCRIBE THE MAJOR
APPROACHES TO
UNDERSTANDING FOREIGN
POLICY, AND TRACE HOW
AMERICA’S ROLE IN THE WORLD
HAS EVOLVEDforeign policy
Government actions that affect
countries, corporations, groups,
or individuals outside America’s
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