USA National Security Goals

USA National Security Goals

Because of its role as a (if not the) major world superpower, the

United States must carefully consider its national foreign policy

goals. Although they may be carried out very differently from

administration to administration, the primary goals of American

foreign policy (in their most general senses) are most effective when

they remain constant over time. Historically, the United States has

pursued a number of foreign policy goals, but one goal has been and

continues to be a primary goal of every generation: national

security. Why is the pursuit of national security—the protecting of

territorial integrity, including American values, lives, property, and

way of life--essential to U.S. foreign policy?

The Realists point to several factors that demonstrate the importance

of national security. They begin by declaring that humans are

naturally aggressive and instinctively fight one another. This human

tendency reveals the inevitable nature of war; thus, it also clearly

points to the need for strong national security to protect oneself in

times of such aggression. The Realists also point out that the world

system is anarchic and that states are the only real actors in world

politics. According to the Realists, because states (especially the

most powerful) are the actual decision makers in intergovernmental

organizations, the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization,

and other U.S. alliances act only according to the ideas of the United

States and other powerful countries. These entities do not make real

decisions without U.S. approval and, thus, act simply as extensions of

U.S. foreign p...

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...nt demonstrates a

country’s need to protect its territorial integrity amidst world

anarchy, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs illustrates the important role of

fulfilling safety needs in order to self-actualize, and recent attacks

on U.S. soil reveal the real threat to American national security that

remains today. If the United States is to continue to be a world

superpower, it must ensure that American values, lives, property, and

way of life are in no way undermined. One can see that making

national security its primary goal in foreign policy will help the

United States make certain that it continues to be a formidable force

in world politics.

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[1] All information on Maslow’s hierarchy is from a Yahoo word search:

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.