A Game of Strategy
Mark Twain once defined the term, sphere of influence to be, “A courteous modern
phrase which means robbing your neighbor—for your neighbor's benefit.” Like Twain,
many claim that economic interests have caused America to rob its Southern neighbors and
act in a self-seeking manner. Others claim that the ideological conviction that America
altruistically acts according to its neighbor’s benefit has strongly influenced America’s
international behavior. However, America, possessing a huge GDP at its disposal, a strong
government, and a patriotic society realized that these assets alone could not guarantee the
nation’s survival. It must be able to ensure national security as well as protect its interests
abroad. Although it is true that ideology, economic welfare, as well as domestic politics all
have played a significant role in U.S. foreign policy, the fundamental factor that has
governed American foreign policy has been geopolitical objectives.
The Monroe Doctrine, contrived by President Monroe in 1823, is a lucid example of
America’s pursuit of geopolitical interests in the Pan-American region. The Doctrine was an
audacious declaration to the powerful European nations to abstain from the region. It
followed the spirit of “Manifest Destiny”, the rousing conviction that Americans had the right
to seize the territory surrounding them. According to Coerver and Hall, the essential
principle that this Doctrine was based upon was the “conviction that the United States was
destined to expand”(13). The authors proceed to remark of the State Department’s concern
that Spain’s loss of its empire may yield to other European powers taking over various areas
of Latin America, especially the prospect of Br...
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...icy in the region. Through the analysis of the Monroe Doctrine, the Roosevelt
Corollary, the importance of the Panama Canal, and a host of other examples, one can
perceive the great importance America imposes on its national security interests. Even to
this day, geopolitical concerns dominate American foreign policy. This time, however, Latin
America goes unobserved as the United States proceeds to pursue its new strategic interests
in the Middle East.
Works Cited
1. Coerver, David and Linda Hall. T a ngled Destinies . Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P,
1999.
2. LaRosa, Michael and Frank O. Mora eds. N e ighborly Adversaries: Readings in U.S. -
Latin American Relations . Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1999.
3. Brockett, Charles. “An Illusion of Omnipotence: U.S. Policy Toward Guatemala 1954-
1960.” Latin American Politics and Society, 2002.
Guilford, CT: Dushkin/ McGraw-Hill, 1997. Chiatkin, Anton. A. Treason in America. Washington DC: Executive Intelligence. Review, a review of the book, Divine, Breen, Frederickson, and Williams. America Past and Present.
Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. New York, NY: Sentinel, 2007. Print.
Between 1895 and 1920, the years in which William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson reigned in the presidents, the United States struggled for not only justice at home but abroad as well. During this period policies such as Roosevelt’s Big Stick diplomacy, William Taft’s Dollar diplomacy, and Woodrow Wilson’s Moral diplomacy were all used in foreign affairs in hopes of benefit for all involved. However, it would be appropriate to say that self-interest was the most important driving factor for American policy and can be exemplified through economic, social, and political relations.
22 Brinkley, Alan An Uneasy Peace 1988-, Vol. 10 of 20th Century America, 10 vols. (New York: Grolier 1995):22
Benson, Sonia, Daniel E. Brannen Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. “Joseph McCarthy.” UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Eds. Lawrence W. Baker and Sarah Hermson. Vol. 5: K-M. Detroit: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. 8 vols.
Anderson, F., and R.S Stephenson. The War That Made America. Penguin Group USA, 2005. (accessed December 5th , 2013).
Henretta, James A and David* Brody. America: A concise History . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. Document.
At the start of 1474, Spain was a non-existent entity that was composed of a series of minor kingdoms within the Iberian Peninsula. However Spain was subject to a process of change that led to the unification of the Iberian Peninsula under one monarchy, which controlled the new world and large areas of Northern Europe. This process of change was stimulated by the revenue of the new world and to varying degrees by domestic and international politics. However the New world was not always the primary factor during this period that catalysed the increase and maintenance of power. Over this time period the revenue from the new world increased, and thus directly Spain’s dependence upon it did as well. Isabella and Ferdinand had no reliance on the new world, as it occurred in the later third of their reign, and as such was viewed more as an economic failure. Kilsby rightly argues that with hindsight, the discovery of the Americas was the “the greatest event since the creation of the world.” Kamen shows us that there was a shift in the new world’s importance, as the “Indian globe” controlled by Spain caused their power and Kamen justily argues that the colonies were the sheet anchor of Phillips Power. The necessity of the new world is entirely due to the funds that it provided that stimulated other factors that contributed to Spain’s growing power over the time period.
Hummel, William and Huntress, Keith. The Analysis of Propaganda. New York: William Sloane Associates, 1949
... An American History of the World. 4th ed. of the book. W.W. Norton, 2012, 671. 2.)
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. New York, NY: Sentinel, 2007. Print.
3. Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).
This book is written from a perspective foreign to most Americans. Historically, American students are taught from a single perspective, that being the American perspective. This approach to history (the single perspective) dehumanizes the enemy and glorifies the Americans. We tend to forget that those on the opposing side are also human.
Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interruption in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general.