Foreign Policy Spectrum ![]() A: Star Wars The Force Awakens Click this link to watch a clip from Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens where General Hux talks about the destruction of the Republic. B: Avatar Click here to watch a trailer of the movie Avatar. C: Washington's Farewell Address In the late 1700s countries often sought out alliances to ensure that they had enough allies to prevent an attack by an unfriendly nation. But George Washington, the first president of the United States, tried to steer the U.S. in a different direction. Washington, in his 1796 Farewell Address advised, "The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations [but] to have with them as little political connection as possible." He felt that alliances with other countries would draw the United States into undesirable conflicts. D: Mexican-American War In 1846 President James Polk sent U.S. troops into an area of Texas just north of the Rio Grande that was claimed by both the United States and Mexico. Polk was intent on achieving "manifest destiny" - the belief that the United States was destined to occupy the territory across the southwest from Texas and California. When Mexico refused to sell this land to the U.S., tensions between the two countries grew. The United States went to war, and by 1848 had invaded Mexico and conquered the territory. E: US Prior to Entering World War I (1914-1917) Click here and watch only the beginning of the video. Pause the video at 1:06. F: U.S. After Entering World War I (1917-1918) Go back to the video you paused from the section above and watch until the end. G: The Vietnam War The Vietnam War, the United States' longest foreign war, cost 58,000 American lives and more than $150 billion. The U.S. wanted to keep the policy of containment and not allow the spread of communism. Their goal was to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government in South Vietnam. The believed that if one country fell to communism the others around it would too. For 30 years, the U.S. provided military and economic support to South Vietnam to help fight against the North Vietnamese Communists. H: Trump's promise during a speech in Washington “We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism. I am skeptical of international unions that tie us up and bring America down. And under my administration, we will never enter America into any agreement that reduces our ability to control our own affairs. The nation-state remains the true foundation of happiness and harmony.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |