American Diplomatic History and Foreign Policy Term Paper

American Foreign Policy

At the conception of the American nation, Americans were told to beware of foreign entanglements, by then-president George Washington, because a body of water separated our nation between Europe and ourselves. However, despite the fact that this caveat has been frequently cited by opponents of expansionist or interventionist policies in its foreign policies, such as World War I and World War II, American foreign policy can hardly be characterized as purely isolationist. Even World War I was defended as making the world safe for democracy and American democratic principles, rhetorically justifying the war in ways beyond mere American national self-interest in Europe.

However, the foreign policy history of the United States, a democratic nation, has been extremely unilateral in nature, rather than reflecting an internationalist sense, or a sense of interdependence upon other states. The Monroe Doctrine defended intervention in South America specifically as the United States' unique sphere of influence, as a way of protecting itself through justified military action within the region. The United States pursued its own military path during the cold war in Europe, dominating…