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America s World View ethos

America's World View (ethos). Introduction: Roots of America's World ViewImportance of war or threat thereof in America's ethosAmerica's Founders considered most wars as a scourge of Europe. European states-monarchies fighting over spoils; European

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America s World View ethos

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    1. America’s World View (ethos) Tyranny vs. Political Freedom

    2. America’s World View (ethos) Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos America’s Founders considered most wars as a scourge of Europe. European states-monarchies fighting over spoils; European “power” politics. One apt aphorism: “Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.”

    3. America’s World View (ethos) Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos Moreover, America was founded in order to make a “more perfect union”: social contract between the government and the people whereby the government works for the people (precluding tyranny) The Founders sought to get away from Europe; the only ties the Founders wished to have with Europe were commercial ties.

    4. America’s World View (ethos) Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos War of Independence Colonial War (1812) subsequent Monroe Doctrine World Wars

    5. Washington, Farewell Address, 1769 As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent Patriot. How many opportunities to they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, . . . Such an attachment of a small or weak, towards a great and powerful nation, dooms the former to be a satellite of the latter. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; . . . The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little Political connection as possible . . . . Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves . . . in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships , or enemies. Why, by intervening our destiny with any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalry, interest, humor, or caprice?

    6. America’s World View (ethos) Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos Geographic isolation allowed America to happily practice an isolationist foreign policy for a couple of hundred years. America to stay out of European politics; rather, would serve as an example to Europeans and others, “a shining city on the hill.” That began to change by the turn of the 20th Century.

    7. America’s ethos: Centrality of War Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos From America’s perspective, America was dragged into World War I. After intervention, America had no territorial ambitions. It sought only war reparations. After war the US took its military and went home returning, briefly, to isolationism.

    8. America’s ethos: Centrality of War Roots of America’s World View Importance of war or threat thereof in America's ethos America was then again dragged into WWII. Following WWII, however, America was faced with a new problem: what to do about the hundreds of thousands of dispossessed persons in devastated countries. America could no longer maintain an isolationist posture: it had the material and moral wherewithal to help to rebuild Europe (self interest and altruism); therefore it had the obligation.

    9. America’s ethos: Centrality of War Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Proposition: America’s origins are those of fleeing European tyranny (King George III, et al.) America’s peculiar form of government—a representative democracy—with independent branches of government providing founding documents to protect civil liberties (political freedom) checks and balances one on another was to preclude a government becoming to overbearing (tyrannical).

    10. America’s ethos Proposition: Thrust into this new position, America became and internationalist nation, maintaining a standing military, basing troops around the world, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, etc. Said internationalism morphed into interventionism during Cold War.

    11. America’s ethos Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Note, at the three conferences on post-War Europe, America asked only that there be elections at the end of a necessary “occupation” whereby occupation would be supplanted by peoples deciding for themselves how to organize and govern themselves. Unfortunately, America’s former ally, the USSR, almost immediately began to undermine any possibility for elections with the allotted two-year timeframe.

    12. America’s ethos Introduction: Roots of America’s World View Cold War “Orthodoxy”: Consequently, America realized a new tyranny (arguably more dangerous than Fascism) was emerging: Soviet Totalitarianism. America’s behavior as the Cold War began in earnest can be seen as its fundamental faith in “political freedom” uniquely defined and enshrined in our founding documents and America’s resultant penchant for thwarting tyrants (those who would deprive others of their political freedoms).

    13. America’s ethos: Image of IR The American Image of Int’l Relations It explains why every president—irrespective of party—casts war in terms of thwarting tyrants. It explains why every president vilifies the object of America’s ire before going to war. It serves to frame the war in terms of values that resonate with the American public.

    14. America’s ethos: Image of IR The American Image of Int’l Relations Consider a few examples: Saddam Hussein as an “evil doer,” the Taliban and al Qaeda similarly. Milosevic (former Yugoslavia) as a war criminal whose crimes equaled Hitler’s, Stalin’s. General Noriega as a believer in the occult. Granada’s leaders as Communist “henchmen.” Bush (41) characterizing Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait as the worse land grab since Hitler….

    15. America’s ethos: Image of IR The American Image of Int’l Relations Thus, America’s world view (ethos) can very simply be seen as American values (political freedom, preventing tyranny) transposed on the global stage following American supplanting isolationism with internationalism. If a people are being subjugated by a tyrannical government, America feels a moral obligation to help the subjugated people. During the Cold War and ever since, America’s has been in search of an appropriate role in international politics. Aggressors must be stopped for they threaten political freedoms.

    16. America’s ethos: Cold War The American Image of Int’l Relations America had seen both WWI and WWII as resulting of various tyrannies. Prior to the 20th Century, US foreign policy consisted of three cornerstones: isolationism; the Monroe Doctrine; and free trade-commercial expansionism.

    17. America’s ethos: Cold War America’s View of the Origins of the Cold War Following Yalta, Potsdam, Tehran, Truman thought ill of all the allies and their willingness to carve up the world according to their former “buffer states” or colonial “possessions.” All Truman wished was to conclude an arrangement whereby the various areas would quickly be able to form their own types of governments. That’s why he insisted on elections in two years’ time. Soviet “tyranny” attempted to thwart the wills of peoples who yearned to be free.

    18. America’s ethos: Cold War America’s View of the Origins of the Cold War Thus, why Truman witnessed the Soviets behind an insurgency in Greece, stirring up a minority (Communists) against non Communists in Germany, Poland, Hungary, . . . He promulgated the Truman Doctrine.

    19. America’s ethos: Truman Doctrine America’s View of the Origins of the Cold War At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. And the choice is too often not a free one. One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon the imposition of the will of a minority upon a majority, upon control of the press and other means of communication by a minority, and upon terror and oppression. I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to give support to free peoples who are attempting to resist subjugation by armed minorities or outside forces. It must be our policy to assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. It is imperative to our security thay we help the Greek nation to preserve its free institutions. Our help must be primarily in the form of the economic and financial aid which is necessary for the creation of a stable economic structure in Greece.

    20. America’s ethos: Image of IR America’s View of the Origins of the Cold War: Discuss George Kennan’s “Containment,” which became the framework of US foreign policy for the next fifty years (1947-2001). Even after the USSR imploded, US foreign policy continued to be Containment. Even from 199, arguably through 2001 US foreign policy remained containment. The only variable was whom?

    21. American ethos: continuity Continuity of US Foreign Policy: Korea and Viet Nam Examples. World problems were a result of Communist aggression; Communist expansions cannot be appeased (lessons of Munich) Due to US’s unique position (moral and economic wherewithal) the US must bear most of the burden of Containment Fighting a small was now is better than a bigger war later (Roosevelt lesson from WWII).

    22. America’s ethos: end of CW The End of the Cold War: why did it end? Many proximate causes but on balance because nine presidents (4 Democrats, 5 Republicans) implemented Containment with persistence and patience. America and the New World (dis)Order Again America searched for an appropriate role following the end of the Cold War. Recall, it searched for a new tyranny to contain and cast about for some time with: international drug-lordism (Panama); Islamic fundamentalism (1993 attempt on the Trade Centers); nationalism (various iterations in Yugoslavia) and back now to Jihadism. Each seen as a tyrant needing America’s attention.

    23. America’s ethos U.S. View of the Developing World: The US views the developing world essentially as a matter of stability. There must be stability in the GS so that industrialization may take place, for new trade partners, global commons, etc. US is somewhat sympathetic to the plight but tends to think free trade fixes all and therefore has not pushed the New International Economic Order as it once said it would. U.S. View of the Asia: US-Japan, US-China, Pac Rim, . . . U.S. View of the EU/Europe: NATO yet differences w/ EU U.S. and Global Security: status quo

    24. America’s ethos: Conclusion Conclusion The US has gone through two traumatic changes in the 20th and now 21st Centuries. It went from and isolationist (city on the hill) to one of the world’s two superpowers, to the only superpower, and now to a global war on terrorism (the identifiable tyranny). Its mythology included the idea that it has been a reluctant participant in war but having been dragged into them with some frequency, will never go back to its isolationist past.

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