Communism and democracy have been considered political opposites and obvious opponents in the realm of nationwide government. The United States has a clear stance on both: quite simply, the latter is ideal and the former is the worst form of government that can be utilized in the state. Communism was viewed as the enemy of democracy and thus of the United States and any state allowed to prosper as a communist nation posed not only a threat to the United States but to democracies everywhere. For years, the United States adopted a strong proclivity for fighting all forms of communism, foreign or domestic, and attempting to install a democratic environment. We saw the fight against communism take place in Korea, Greece and ultimately culminated with the Vietnam war. Although the “falling domino principle” has since been proven nothing more than rhetoric and the threat of communism is no longer pressing, the United States has seemed to retain an interesting ideology – the need to intervene.
It seems as though we have translated our ideology of intervening in communist nations to intervening in nations that harbor, are victims of and continue to be troubled with terrorists. Many argue that after 9/11 there was “a new age of U.S. foreign policy that sought to use the power of the planet’s sole surviving superpower to remake the world in its own image” (Hower), however the seed for this policy was planted long before the attacks on the Twin Towers. This paper will analyze the actions taken by the United States under their two seemingly separate ideologies, decipher similarities and differences and, by the end, hope to assert that the ideology of intervention has always been a crucial implication of the American government, only the ...
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...957, New York: Dial Press, 1978, p.3
Hower, Mike. "How U.S. Foreign Policy Has Evolved From 9/11 to Syria." Article-3.com. N.p., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
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McCARTNEY, P. T. (2004), American Nationalism and U.S. Foreign Policy from September 11 to the Iraq War. Political Science Quarterly, 119: 399–423. doi: 10.2307/20202389
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"Vietnam War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
As stronger nations exercise their control over weaker ones, the United States try to prove their authority, power and control over weaker nations seeing them as unable to handle their own issues thereby, imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided with their ideological ones (kinzer.215). These factors were the reasons behind America’s intervention in Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam and Chile to control and protect multinational companies as well as the campaign against communism with little or no knowledge about these countries.
Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6.
During World War I, American ideals and interests were first tested by other nations of the world. Interventionists ensured the safety of our civilians and economy by becoming ourselves a belligerent party in the war whose loans would boost the economy. Interventionists also secured our lands by engaging in a war to defend them. In regards to WWI, interventionist ideals best protected American interests due to their emphasis of protecting our citizens, our lands, and enhancing our economy.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
Pearson, Lester B. "Documents on the Korean Crisis." University of Manitoba. January 24, 1951. http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/archives/canada_war/tribune/website/clippings/korea/Documents_on_the_Korean_Crisis1.shtml (accessed December 18, 2011).
Peterson, Paul E. "The President's Dominance in Foreign Policy Making." Political Science Quarterly 109.2 (Summer, 1994): 215-234.
This book details the discussion of government policy in the stages of the Vietnam crisis from 1961-July 1965. It examines the main characters of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, in addition to the military, which included the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It began in the Kennedy era amidst the Bay of Pigs incident and how that led to mistrust of the military planning by advisors and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It continues with Johnson and his administration making decisions over and over that continued to commit more and more involve...
So many things influenced our involvement in the Vietnam War, and Lawrence examines the decisions we made in a greater context than just our own. He argues that international pressures controlled the attitudes and ideas of the United States, for the most part.
- Lee, Steven Hugh. Korea, Vietnam, and The Cold War in Asia, 1949-1954. Montreal fF
As we approach the next Presidential election the topic of American foreign policy is once again in the spotlight. In this paper, I will examine four major objectives of U.S. foreign policy that have persisted throughout the twentieth century and will discuss the effect of each on our nation’s recent history, with particular focus on key leaders who espoused each objective at various times. In addition, I will relate the effects of American foreign policy objectives, with special attention to their impact on the American middle class. Most importantly, this paper will discuss America’s involvement in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War to the anticipated fulfillment of these objectives—democracy, manifest destiny, humanitarianism, and economic expansion.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
方玥雯[Fang Yue Wen] (2009). 北韓核武研發與東北亞安全：2002-2007. [The North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and the Security in Northeast Asia: 2002-2007] in台灣[Taiwan]: 國立政治大學[National Cheungchi University] Retrieved 18 July, 2013 from http://nccuir.lib.nccu.edu.tw/handle/140.119/37029
It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, “The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan.
Willbanks, James H. "The Real History of the Vietnam War." ARMCHAIR GENERAL Nov. 2007: 54-67. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.