Chief Successes and Failures of US Foreign Policy since WW2

Since World War II and US Foreign Policy

Since World War II, the US has had numerous presidents, and each one introduced a distinct foreign policy. Wilson Woodrow would appear to be the best in terms of foreign policy idealists; Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush might appear to be the best in terms of realists; Dwight Eisenhower is the man for those who prefer less partisan and modest figures; Harry Truman is the man for those who prefer a tough-talking president. Although there are many different schools of opinion, there is a consensus that there are some chief successes and failures of US foreign policy since the WW2 that are outlined by this paper.

Discussion

One of the chief successes of the US foreign policy since WW2 is the restraint demonstrated by Ronald Reagan administration. Though he came into the office with a strong anti-communist rhetoric calling the Soviet Union an “evil empire”, he was a political pragmatist who exercised restraint and caution when the cold War was at its fever pitch. During a time when both sides of the conflict were entertaining the possibility of a nuclear conflict, Reagan got into business with Mikhail Gorbachev in matters regarding the elimination of strategic nuclear weapons. During the Reykjavik Summit, he almost achieved that. As Dueck (321) observes, although the summit did not result to total elimination of nuclear weapons and the heightened threat, the goodwill gave Gobachev the political space to enact reforms that deescalated the war rhetoric significantly (Dueck 321). His administration promoted restraint, possibly the most effective foreign policy during the Cold War era. Moreover, during his presidency, he only ordered one military intervention in Grenada. It is partly due to his restraint that the Cold War era ended peacefully.

Another chief success in US foreign policy was the promotion of the notion of collective security system within the international system during the Iraq War. After WW2, many were skeptical that the newly formed UN would not succeed just like the League of Nations. However, George H. W Bush in the Iraq conflict assembled a multi-national coalition that had the backing of the UN Security Council aimed at reducing aggression that had been demonstrated by Saddam in his invasion of Kuwait. This foreign policy offered an important model regarding foreign intervention (Rosati and Scott 160). The Gulf War gave birth to a means of achieving collective security in the otherwise anarchic international system. This foreign policy not only acted as a warning to aggressive states but also was an experiment in international cooperation in achieving collective security and a good backing to the UN.

On the other hand, one of the chief failures of the US foreign policy is the Vietnam War. Most historians and scholars agree that the war was not only unnecessary but also the US should not have continued to be involved in the conflict for such a long time. Tens of thousands of Americans died in the conflict that was extended by President Nixon’s reluctance to end the war (Hook and Spanier 11). Moreover, Nixon promoted the foreign policy of interference in internal affairs of many states primarily through coups. The bombing and invasion of Cambodia for example led to death of a million Cambodians and grabbing of power by Khmer Rouge, a ruthless dictator. These kinds of invasions and interference across the world undermined the image of the US in the world especially considering that it is the US through president Franklin Roosevelt that had established an international system that was supposed to maintain peace and security across the world.

Another chief failure in the US foreign policy emerged during George W. Bush’s administration; escalation in the Middle East and failure to stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea. Bush led the US into a pointless conflict with dubious intelligence and in launching the war the US angered key allies that had stood by her in forming a global system based on collective security system. Moreover, failure to plan an effective post-war Iraq turned a victorious military victory into a disastrous and long-term occupation that weakened US position globally. Perhaps it’s due to these escalations and conflict that North Korea has managed to sneak its way into becoming a nuclear armed member because she saw that the only way to guarantee its own security was by possessing the nuclear capability. Now, the world is concerned about a nuclear armed North Korea and escalation of nuclear conflict.

Conclusion

The paper has outlined some of the chief successes and failures of US foreign policy and the presidents who were at the helm during those key moments in history. What emerges from the discussion is that foreign policy is important in how a nation grows and stands amongst its peers. Every moment in history has needed a different foreign policy from the other. For example, as it has emerged, during the Cold War era, a good foreign policy is that which was based on restraint while in later years, one that endorsed a collective system of security was paramount.

Works Cited

Dueck, Colin. Hard Line: The Republican Party and U.S. Foreign Policy Since World War II. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2010. Print.

Hook, Steven W, and John W. Spanier. American Foreign Policy since World War II. Thousand Oaks, Calif: CQ Press, 2013. Print.

Rosati, Jerel A, and James M. Scott. The Politics of United States Foreign Policy. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.