Some keywords
The monetary system established after WWII that cemented the dominance of the U.S. dollar as well as the International Monetary fund and the World bank. It established a global economic system that was based on the economy of the United States. This was important as one of the main examples of emerging US world dominance following WWII.
What is Bretton Woods
This term refers to sensationalist ______ or media that stretches or distorts the truth in order to sway public opinion. It’s related to the term “manufacturing consent”, where individuals or governments manipulate the people in order to gain support for actions like war that might otherwise be unpopular.
What is Yellow Journalism
This refers to the massacre that took place in a village in Northern Vietnam. The massacre was significant because the coverage of its atrocities by US journalists was a big factor in the shifting support for the war.
What is Mai Lai
The process of one nation exerting dominant influence on another country, either through direct conquest or through indirect means in order to further their own goals.
What is Imperialism
A term that groups together nearly half of the world’s countries, highlighting their economic and political similarities. These countries are generally seen as. historically being the victims of colonization and exploitation by the other half
What is the Global South
This is the incident in which the US claimed that one of their naval destroyers had been attacked by the North Vietnamese. This attack was used to justify the US’s involvement in the Vietnam war. It has since been questioned whether the attack was legitimate.
What is the gulf of Tonkin incident
the paradox between two values espoused by America- revolution which America was founded on and liberty which it guaranteed to all- however which it did not live up to either in the case of slavery and America’s foreign policy
What is liberty/revolution
An economic system where people or businesses own private property as a means of benefiting by the means of rent and labor. The main economic philosophy that has guided the United States. In class we talked about how it can be alienating to individuals
Capitalism
This refers to the idea of a country acting alone in international affairs (i.e. without its allies, a unilateral action). We talked about this in relation to Vietnam, the Iraq war and Robert McNamara who warned against this kind of action.
What is unilateralism
What George Bush claimed were in Iraq in order to justify the war
WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
The process whereby individuals, groups and countries conquer another nation. Goes hand in hand with genocide and cultural decimation.
What is conquest
This is a term coined by Walter Lippman to describe the way that governments or media manipulate the people in order to gain support for actions like war that might otherwise be unpopular. This is often done in support of capitalism or conquest.
What is Manufacturing Consent
A term for people that have been displaced from their original homeland. We talked about this in relation to the Jewish diaspora as well as the Palestinian diaspora. The politics of the diaspora play heavily into the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
What is diaspora
The ownership of human beings in order to engage them in forced labor. A key prerequisite for American power during America’s early years
What is Slavery
This refers to the Chicago World’s Fair which was held in 1893. This was significant because it marked a turning point in the history of US power and dominance, showcasing new inventions, cultural achievements and an emerging American identity. This is related to the pillar of capitalism
What is the World’s Columbian Exposition
A war started by the United States in order to depose the dictator Saddam Hussain. George Bush claimed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) necessitated the invasion. It’s generally accepted that this was a false claim and that the war represents the US acting unilaterally to further their interests in the region as well as perceived threats. This relates to continued trends towards Unilateral action, imperialism and conquest that persist within US foreign policy
What is the Iraq War