American Foreign Policy

For most Americans, the world has taken a decidedly frightening turn since the events of September 11, 2001. No area of public life has changed more dramatically or quickly than in the realm of foreign policy. Almost over night, the U.S. went from a policy of deterrence, which grew out of the Cold War, to a declared policy of “pre-emption.” Moreover, some analysts were even beginning to openly use the term “empire” and “empire building” to describe developments. As this semester begins, however, events have taken yet another sharp and disturbing turn, and talk of an “American empire” has died almost completely away. President Bush’s approval ratings have plummeted since his re-election in 2004, control of congress shifted in 2006 from the Republicans to the Democrats, and the next presidential race is shaping up as a free for all, in no small part because of a deteriorating situation in Iraq. While most attention is focused on Iraq, the U.S. faces equally significant challenges in many other parts of the world, not least in Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. In sum, the ups and downs of the Bush administration’s handling of foreign policy, especially because they have occurred so quickly, serve as a telling case study in the relationship of politics to foreign policy.