William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

640 Chapter 17 | Foreign Policy

ties with these nations, as a counter to the increased regional economic and military

power of China. Withdrawing from these agreements, as Trump has decided to do,

means that these foreign policy issues will need to be addressed using other means.

Economic policies are also used to threaten or sanction countries as a way of

inducing them to change their behavior. Working with the United States and other

nations, the UN Security Council authorized economic sanctions against Iran aimed

at forcing the nation to stop enriching uranium, a first step in the production of nuclear

weapons.^49 These sanctions banned arms sales to the country and made it all but

impossible for Iranian citizens and corporations to do business outside their nation’s

borders. The damage caused by sanctions was one important reason why Iran agreed

to negotiate a deal with the United States and the European Union, resulting in the 2016

deal in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear research programs and Western nations

agreed to remove economic sanctions. This outcome also explains why President

Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal is unlikely to change Iranian behavior:

none of the sanctions formerly imposed by EU nations have been reinstated.

Foreign aid

Foreign aid is money, products, or services given to other countries or the citizens of

these countries. Sometimes aid reflects the desire to provide basic assistance to satisfy

fundamental human needs. For example, American military ships and aircraft are often

used to deliver food and medical supplies to the victims of earthquakes and other natural

disasters. Foreign aid also serves to stimulate economic growth in other nations. For

instance, funding from the United States helps build factories; pays for technical advisers

who provide locals training on the construction and operation of water, power, or

sewage treatment plants; and buys hardware to support infrastructure such as Internet

access or telephone networks. Foreign aid also facilitates international agreements. For

example, the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979 was facilitated by America’s

agreement to provide substantial military and economic assistance to both countries.^50

Promises of continued American aid to Israel have also been one factor in discouraging

Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear facilities in the last several years.

Figure 17.3 shows the level of American nonmilitary foreign aid in 2017 measured as

a percentage of gross national income (GNI, which includes GDP as well as accounting

economic sanctions

Penalties applied by one country or

group of countries on another, usually

in the form of tariffs or other trade

barriers.

The United States spends

<1%

of its annual budget on foreign aid.

According to one poll, Americans on

average think the country spends

28 percent.

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Poll

DID YOU KNOW?

One of the most conflictual issues of

the Trump administration’s foreign

policy strategy is tariffs. Touted

initially as a defense of the United

States’ national security, President

Trump’s steel tariff had unintended

consequences, including the increase

of steel prices domestically and the

escalation of a trade war abroad.

Long after the end of the Cold War,

relations between the United States

and Russia remain tense. When Russia

invaded Crimea in 2014, the United

States and NATO allies sent troops

to signal support for the Ukrainian

government.

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