History of US foreign policy
The US brought a red button to a 2009 meeting with Russian leaders that was supposed to read "reset." What did it actually read?
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What are the four types of congressional committee hearings?
1. Legislative
2. Investigative
3. Oversight
4. Nomination
What were some of the unexpected side effects of NAFTA?
1. Increased rates of diabetes in the US.
2. Increased rates of anxiety.
3. Reduced pollution in the US, but increased pollution in Mexico.If a president wants to quickly deliver military aid to another state, sometimes within hours, what mechanism are they likely to use?
Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA)
What is the "madman theory" in foreign policy? Give at least one example.
1. A leader can make their threats seem more credible and therefore achieve their goals by seeming irrational and unpredictable.
2. Nixon in the Vietnam War; Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the Gulf and Iraq Wars; Trump dealing with North Korea and China
The Biden administration sought to undo Donald Trump’s foreign policy legacy, except for…
The Biden administration largely retained Trump's tariffs, especially on China.
What are the two main ways the President seeks to gain foreign policy power over Congress?
1. Going public (taking their policy proposal directly to the public to apply pressure on Congress)
2. Neustadtian bargaining (leveraging the power of the presidency to negotiate with Congress)
Under what circumstances are tariffs most effective?
1. When they're targeted towards economic/security threats.
2. When they're part of a national strategy for investing in US manufacturers?
3. When they target firms rather than countrywide markets.
What are the three main military aid accounts? What do they do?
1. Foreign Military Financing (FMF): Grants for military equipment, services, and training
2. International Military Education and Training (IMET): Technical and development courses for foreign officers and civilian defense personnel that emphasize civil-military relations
3. Peacekeeping Operations (PKO): Support for conflict resolution, conflict stabilization, and counterterrorism by third parties.
What factors have eroded the credibility of US threats of force since the end of World War 2?
1. High-profile perceived failures and withdrawals, including in Vietnam and Afghanistan.
2. The perception that policymakers are overly responsive to the public, which is overly responsive to the deaths of US soldiers.
3. The democratic decision-making process in the US, which is more transparent and thus easier to read for adversaries, as well as the impact of public opinion on foreign policy.
Why did the “irreconcilables” reject Wilson’s proposed League of Nations?
1. They were concerned that international laws would infringe on US sovereignty.
2. They feared the League would pull the US into wars when it wasn't directly threatened.
3. Some of them didn't think the treaty went far enough to promote decolonization and disarmament.
Why do Presidents sometimes seek to circumvent their own departments and “run foreign policy through the White House”?
They distrust the bureaucracy, which they may suspect is not aligned with their goals, and instead trust their own staffers.
Who benefits from the US trade war with China?
"Bystander countries"-- high export states in the Asia-Pacific region like Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea.
In what ways does the US benefit from foreign aid? What criticisms have been raised?
Benefits: Creates customers and markets for US goods, prevents global pandemics, supports national security, and serves as a tool for soft power.
Criticisms: Questions about effectiveness (minority view) and value to the US, concerns about impact on reforms, use as a bandaid or a weapon.
What does the phrase "well-fed dead" refer to? What lesson does it impart regarding humanitarian interventions?
1. It refers to the delivery of food and medicine to Bosnians and Croats under attack during the siege of Sarajevo; they received aid but remained under constant attack.
2. Providing humanitarian aid without addressing the causes (often military in nature) that make aid necessary causes humanitarian interventions to fail.
What two major mistakes did the US make after the Iraq War, and why did they matter?
1. De-Baathification: Occupation authorities purged the top four levels of party leadership, including hospital administrators and electricity personnel, hollowing out Iraq's bureaucracy.
2. The Bush administration disbanded the Iraqi Army, creating a massive contingent of unemployed, angry former soldiers who went on to join extremist groups like ISIS.
When does the foreign policy pendulum swing towards the President? When does it swing back towards Congress? Can you think of any examples?
1. After a crisis, or when the American public perceives a major security threat (9/11, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident)
2. When the public believes the President has failed to address the security threat or to be transparent (LBJ and Nixon's conduct of the Vietnam War)
What were the three main pillars of the Bretton Woods agreement?
1. It tied the US dollar to gold at a fixed rate ($35 an ounce).
2. It fixed all exchange rates, from Japanese yen to German marks, to the US dollar.
3. It allowed for currencies to be devalued if the country in question was running a trade deficit.
What are the main oversight mechanisms for foreign aid?
The USAID Inspector General's Office, independent watchdog organizations monitoring the IGO and use of funds, and congressional hearings.
Compare and contrast the “Never Again” and “limited war” doctrines around use of force in US foreign policy.
1. The "Never Again" doctrine, motivated by the US experience in Vietnam, argues that the US should commit troops only when vital interests are threatened; when they are, it should commit troops whole-heartedly, with clear goals and intention of winning, and with public support.
2. The "limited war" doctrine argues that use of force should entail tightly tailored military missions with sharp withdrawal deadlines, that diplomacy must be backed by the credible threat of military force, and that public buy-in isn't always necessary.
How did the early Latin American republics respond to the Monroe Doctrine?
Cautious optimism: they appreciated American support against the threat of European monarchism and colonialism, but knew the US wasn't very powerful and suspected future US leaders would use the doctrine as a tool for imperialism.
What are the two main vehicles by which Congress leverages power of the purse in foreign policy?
The National Defense Authorization Act, and foreign relations authorizations (but these are typically minor and attached to the NDAA)
What workers benefit the most from protectionism? What workers are hurt by it?
1. Workers in the industry targeted by the tariffs (for example, steelworkers when a tariff is put on steel) benefit the most.
2. Workers who manufacture products made using the good subject to tariffs.
3. Workers in industries targeted by retaliatory tariffs.
What challenges do humanitarian organizations face? Can you give any examples?
1. Urgent crises are not one-off events but reflect long-term factors like climate change, unresolved conflicts, and political issues.
2. Political realities on the ground can present barriers to delivering the full amount of aid in a timely manner.
Of all US military interventions since 1898, the most common political objective has been... (Provide an example)
1. Enhancing regional and US security interests-- specifically addressing perceived threats to regional and global stability.
2. The War on Terror (including the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars), interventions during the Cold War (Vietnam, Guatemala)