AMERİKAN DIŞ POLİTİKASI

Since the 19th century, three particular ways of thinking became significant in U.S. foreign policy. Specifically, the policies of isolationism, containment, and deterrence guided U.S. actions around the world, especially during the Cold War era.

The president’s personality and personal interest in foreign policy are important factors in determining how much control s/he would like to have in America’s relations with other entities around the world. For example, whereas Abraham Lincoln showed great interest in military and foreign strategy the American Civil War (1861– 1865), Woodrow Wilson did not really show any interest in foreign affairs until when the important end-of-war treaties were being signed following World War I. Similarly, whereas some presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt worked closely with his advisors and generals during World War II, Lyndon B. Johnson managed a lot of the details about the Vietnam War to himself and had a very tight personal control over the military operations.

That the presidents are using different tactics to bypass Congress is a significant change in U.S. foreign policy making process because the presidential decisions mentioned above allegedly violate the War Powers Resolution. The War Powers Resolution (also known as the War Powers Act) is a federal law that was enacted in 1973 with the intention to check the president’s power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislative institution with 100 senators serving in the Senate and 435 state representatives serving in the House of Representatives. These two bodies of Congress share full legislative power. Whereas the Senate has exclusive authority to approve– or reject–presidential nominations to executive and judicial offices the House possesses the sole authority to impeach federal officials and, in the case of indecisive Electoral College results, to elect a president.

Today, the State Department has a large corps of diplomats known for their specialized expertise, and “leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity (The U.S. Department of State).” The department’s primary responsibility is to staff diplomatic missions abroad and carry out the directives of the president in diplomacy. Civil servants hired and trained by the Department of State mostly handle day-to-day relations with other countries; they help maintain contacts with foreign countries and monitor other governments on a regular basis.

The Department of Defense, which has three subordinate military departments - the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force - is charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. In short, the Defense Department provides “the military forces needed to deter war and ensure American’s national security (The U.S. Department of Defense).”

The National Security Council (NSC) is the president’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. The NSC was created under President Truman in 1947, and since then, the Council’s two main functions have been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies and to serve as the president’s main arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), created in 1947, is tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence. The CIA is the only agency authorized by law to carry out and oversee covert action at the behest of the President.

In addition to the president, Congress, and certain bureaucracies, interest groups, think tanks, the press, and public opinion affect U.S. foreign policy making. As time becomes less restricted, the environment for different actors to participate in the decision making process becomes more pluralistic, paving the way for secondary actors in U.S. foreign policy making to become more influential. Therefore, a good understanding of which interest groups become more important and when in U.S. foreign policy and how public opinion shapes U.S. leaders’ decision making process is crucial for understanding the main forces behind current policies of the United States in the world.

The foreign policy of the Reagan administration from 1981 to 1989 was characterized by a strategy of “peace through strength.” In his State of the Union address in 1985, President Reagan defined some of the key concepts of this foreign policy, establishing what came to be known as the Reagan Doctrine. The doctrine served as the foundation for the Reagan administration’s support of those who were fighting against the Soviet-supported aggression. Based on this doctrine, the Reagan administration not only offered financial and logistical support to the anti-communist opposition in different parts of the world but it also followed a hard line policy against socialist and communist governments in Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua. Indeed, the United States provided covert support to the Contras and the mujahideen in their fight against the leftist left-leaning governments in Nicaragua and Afghanistan, respectively.

The Reagan Doctrine was the last presidential doctrine of the Cold War period, and it is widely considered to be at least partially responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Isolationism refers to a policy of the U.S. remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

The Monroe Doctrine, enunciated in 1823 by President James Monroe, became the cornerstone of this policy.

The policy of containment, implemented as a part of the 1947 Truman Doctrine, was a policy specifically designed against the Soviet Union and operated on the principle that communist governments would eventually fall apart as long as they were prevented from expanding their influence.

The policy of containment, implemented as a part of the 1947 Truman Doctrine, was a policy specifically designed against the Soviet Union and operated on the principle that communist governments would eventually fall apart as long as they were prevented from expanding their influence.

The policy of deterrence refers to the development and maintenance of military strength as a means of discouraging attack from hostile powers.

The policy of preemption, which was first discussed in President Bush’s West Point speech in June of 2002 but then became codified in the 2002 National Security Strategy, is based defined as the anticipatory use of force in the face of an imminent attack.

The policy of preemption, which was first discussed in President Bush’s West Point speech in June of 2002 but then became codified in the 2002 National Security Strategy.

The president is the Commander-in-Chief of the military and nominates and appoints ambassadors and other public ministers.

Lyndon B. Johnson managed a lot of the details about the Vietnam War to himself and had a very tight personal control over the military operations.

Following the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush ordered American troops into Iraq and Afghanistan