HY 357 Lecture Notes - Lecture 64: Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf War, Domino Theory
6 Jun 2018
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Background of American Foreign Policy
Actions taken by the United States to promote its national interests, security, and well-being in
the world come under the heading of foreign policy. These actions may include measures that
support a competitive economy, provide for a strong defense of the nation's borders, and
encourage the ideas of peace, freedom, and democracy at home and abroad. Foreign policy may
contain inherent contradictions. For example, an aggressive foreign policy with a country whose
activities have been perceived as threatening to U.S. security could result in a confrontation,
which might undermine freedom and democracy at home. Foreign policy is never static; it must
respond to and initiate actions as circumstances change.
In his farewell address, George Washington warned the United States to steer clear of
foreign entanglements. From the conclusion of the War of 1812 to the Spanish-
American War (1898), this advice was largely followed. American foreign policy
was isolationist; that is, U.S. leaders saw little reason to get involved in world affairs,
particularly outside the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) stated that
the United States would not interfere in European affairs and it would oppose any
European attempt to colonize the Americas. The second part of the doctrine was
effectively enforced because it reflected British desires as well. American energies were
applied to settling the continent under the banner of manifest destiny.
The Spanish-American War and its aftermath
The Spanish-American War marked the emergence of the United States as a world
power. As a result, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines became American
territories; the Hawaiian Islands were annexed separately. A few years later, President
Theodore Roosevelt intervened in Central and South America, including supporting the
independence of Panama from Columbia in 1903, which led to construction of the
Panama Canal. With the European powers carving out spheres of influence for
themselves in China, the United States called for an Open Door policy that would allow
all nations equal trading access.
World War I and World War II
The United States entered World War I in April 1917, after remaining neutral for three
years. President Woodrow Wilson, who hoped his Fourteen Points (1918) would
become the basis for the postwar settlement, played an active role in the Paris Peace
Conference. The Republican-controlled Senate, however, refused to ratify the Treaty of
Versailles, which provided for the creation of the League of Nations. The United States
returned to isolationism during the interwar period and never joined the League. In
response to the growing threat from Nazi Germany, Congress passed a series of
neutrality acts (1935-1937) that were intended to keep the United States out of a
European conflict. It was only after the outbreak of World War II (September 1939) that
President Franklin Roosevelt was able to shift American foreign policy to aid the Allies.
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