US Foreign Policy in Action

Jeffrey S. Lantis is Professor of Political Science at The College of Wooster, USA. He teaches courses on U.S. foreign policy, international security, comparative foreign policy, and war and peace on film. A former Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Australian National University, Lantis is author of The Life and Death of International Treaties (2009), and co-editor of Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective: Domestic and International Influences on State Behavior (2012). He is past president of the Active Learning in International Affairs Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), and has directed numerous workshops on active learning approaches. In 2010, he was co-recipient of the Deborah J. Gerner Innovative Teaching Award in International Studies, the highest teaching award bestowed by the ISA.

• List of Photos ixList of Figures xiList of Maps xiiList of Tables xiiiPreface and Acknowledgments xiv1 Introduction: United States Foreign Policy in Action 1Historical Foundations 3Major Actors in the Foreign Policy Process 7Pedagogical Approach: How to Use This Book 9Key Features 10Overview of the Book 112 The History of US Foreign Policy 14Revolutionary Values 15The Struggle to Defi ne the New Nation 18Manifest Destiny? 22The Civil War 24Rise to Globalism 26The “American Century” and World Wars 29Discussion Questions 353 Foreign Policy in the Cold War and Post-Cold War Era 38Introduction 39The Cold War 40The Truman Doctrine 42Korea and Vietnam 45Redefining Values and Interests? 47The End of the Cold War 55Engagement and Enlargement 58Interests versus Values? The War on Terrorism 59Discussion Questions 644 Key Government Institutions: The President, Congress, and the Courts 68Section I: Constitutional Authority and the “Invitation to Struggle” 69The President and the Executive Branch 71Presidential Influence 72Instruments of Presidential Power 83Congress: The Legislative Branch 84The Courts: The Judicial Branch 95Conclusion 98Discussion Questions 99Section II: Structured Debate: Leadership in Action and the War on Terrorism 100Guidelines and Rules of Procedure 100Debate: Executive Dominance and the War on Terrorism 101Background: The War on Terrorism 101Framing the Debate: Values and Interests 103Position 1: YES, The President Should Have Greater Authority in the War on Terrorism 103Additional Resources 105Position 2: NO, The President Should Not Have More Foreign Policy Authority 106Additional Resources 1115 Bureaucracies: Unelected Actors in the Foreign Policy Process 116Section I: Bureaucracies and Foreign Policy 117Key Characteristics of Bureaucracies 117The Theory of Bureaucratic Politics 119The Department of Defense 122The Department of State 129Intelligence Bureaucracies 137Discussion Questions 144Section II: National Security Council Simulation: Bureaucratic Politics in Action 145Exercise Scenario: Proliferation Threats 147Iranian Nuclear Ambitions 148Appendices: Templates and Role Assignments 155Additional Resources 1606 Interest Groups and Political Parties 163Section I: The Power of Unelected Actors 164Interest Groups 164What Do You Want? How to Lobby Effectively 168Types of Interest Groups 171Political Parties 179Conclusion: Are All Politics “Local”? 185Discussion Questions 185Section II: Interest Groups in Action: Case-Based Learning 186Pedagogical Approach 186Environmental Policy: The United States, Interest Groups, and Climate Change 186A Change of Climate? 193Legislative Showdown 197Case Discussion Questions 2007 Public Opinion and the Media 204Section I: Reaching the Masses? Public Opinion and the Media 205Public Opinion 205Public Attitudes and Foreign Policy: A Direct Line? 214Media and Foreign Policy 216The Functions of Media 217Contemporary Trends in Media Coverage 221Discussion Questions 224Section II: Public Opinion and the Media in Action: Problem-Based Cooperative Learning 226Research Project 1: Alternative News Media and Foreign Policy: Educating the Public? 226Research Project 2: The Media and National Security: Is There a Public “Right to Know”? 2308 Grand Strategy: Then and Now 243Section I: What is Grand Strategy? 244Alternative Grand Strategy Frames for US Foreign Policy Positions 246Hegemony/Unilateralism 247Multilateralism 251Isolationism/Parochialism 255Formulating Grand Strategy in the Post-9/11 World 258Discussion Questions 260Section II: Structured Debate: A New Grand Strategy for the Twenty-First Century? 262Guidelines and Rules of Procedure 262Framing the Debate 263Position 1: YES, A New Foreign Policy Should be Strongly Multilateral – Vital Interests are Global 263What Does Multilateralism Mean for Foreign Policy? 265Transnational Issues and Multilateral Solutions 265Additional Resources 270Position 2: NO, A New Foreign Policy Should be Isolationist/Parochial – Vital Interests are Domestic 270“It’s the Economy, Stupid” 271What Does Parochialism Mean for US Foreign Policy? 272The War on Terror and US Parochialism 274A Sustainable Foreign Policy Agenda? 276Additional Resources 2789 Contemporary Foreign Policy Analysis 282Fundamental Dynamics of Foreign Policy 283Obama Foreign Policy 285The Arab Spring Meets Liberal Engagement 288Domestic Political Constraints 289Foreign Policy Continuity versus Change 293What Can You Do? 295Bibliography 298Index 324