Chapter 2: The US Foreign Policy Apparatus and National Interest 

2.1 What is Foreign Policy?
  • The Content of US Foreign Policy refers to the actions and statements of the government of the United States that are directed towards some foreign audience
    • Actions for example might be the deployment of military force in war, or the signing on an agreement, shifts in budgets, ect.
    • Statements are words that are said by a government official, and they are important since other states will adjust their behavior according to the expectations they have of US interests or future actions
      • Consequently, statements of American Intent or interests declared are the right time, in the right context can also shape what other states/what other governments think or do
        • Example #1: President Trump's Tweets, speaks of the content of the policies he wants the US government to pursue
        • Example #2: Donald Trump Congratulates Taiwan's President for getting reelected 
          • This is a calculated message to the government of China that his administration was going to pursue an alternative foreign policy in a different direction
  • Who is Foreign Policy?
    • US Government Officials
    • Foreign Audiences, governments and their citizens, non-state actors, International Organizations, and Multinational Corporations
2.2 What is Foreign Policy Continued...
  • Discuss some of the targets/purposes of US Foreign Policy: This is the Why of US Foreign Policy
    • These targets can be Foreign governments, Citizens, Intentional Organizations, or Multinational Corporations
  • Why is the US government trying to Influence beliefs of other countries?
    • Beliefs refer to the organizing ideas that foreign actors have about the content of American Interests, and their expectations about future American concerns
  • US Foreign Policy is designed to communicate US Intent or the content of our interests
  • What are the capabilities of actors, and why would US foreign policy try to alter the capabilities of other actors in the international system?
    • Capabilities refer to the power resource
      • Wealth, Military assets, or a strong public support that governments can use to realize their interests
    • The US may take set action to degrade the capabilities of their adversaries
      • To limit their ability to fulfill the interests that might conflict with US Foreign Policy goals (Example Iran Nuclear Sanctions)
      • Example #1:
        • US can use its military dominance to extract political concessions from other states, can threaten war unless a government makes important political concessions to this.
      • Example #2:
        • Iran has interests in Nuclear Power Plants, but US sanctions are desired to change this interest of their target
2.3 The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy in the United States
  • We are now interested in talking about the Who in Foreign Policy
    • Will be talking about important government officials that are tasked with defining US Foreign Policy decisions to realize the goals
  • Must think about the process in which these policies are implemented, this integrates American Political Interests and the manner in which they regulate political competition and conflict within the US into this process
  • The way the political system is organized matters, especially how we organize our executive branch of government, it influences the types of foreign policy it produces
  • The President appoints the upper rung of federal bureaucracy in a number of key agencies tasked with implementing US Foreign policy Includes:
    • The State Department
      • Houses all of the diplomats responsible for the day to day interactions between the US government and all other governments which the US officially recognizes relations with
      • Example: The State department controls passports, so if some trade agreement is made the state department twill be involved 
      • Includes the Secretary of the State
    • The Defense Department
      • Manages the armed forces of the United States
        • Headed by a civilian instead of a general
      • Secretary of Defense works closely with the Joint Chief of Staff, which are top military officials of each branch of the armed forces
      • Plays a significant role in making and execution of US Foreign Policy
    • The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve
      • Manages coordination of monetary policies between US and other states
      • Unique in that it has lots of domestic responsibilities 
        • Collection of taxes, paying government's bills, and borrowing operations
      • Thus, the Treasury Department has a deeper interest into forming policy making as maintain sovereign wealth funds and coming up with countries to borrow from has been such an important issue to thee US Government
    • The Intelligence Agencies: CIA & Director of National Security (DNI)
      • The DNI was created after 9/11 to create a centralized system for combining the intelligence agencies throughout the world
      • National Security Adviser holds responsibility for coordinating all of these bureaucracy involved in Foreign policy making in the executive branch
        • This person also Heads the National Security Council
        • He also is responsible for briefing the president each morning
    • In the US White House Staff do not require confirmation from the senate
    • While the president makes final decision in vital maters, he is not the only one making decisions and there is a whole structure behind the president involved in the decision making
2.4 What is National Interest?
  • It is the set of goals possessed by the US, helps to motivate/guide the political identity of America, and set the scope of political conflict or cooperation with other states
  • Many sources of National Interests, some in the form of National Security, and Economic Interests
  • The content of these interests and their relative prioritization are often contested among American Voters
  • Thinking About Political Goals: National Interest
    • Guide Policy
    • Define Collective Identity of Americans
    • Dimensions of Interest:
      • National Security
        • Ability to protect and safeguard the physical safety of its citizens is at stake, that can be military, ect.
      • Economic Interests
        • Interests in maintaining a Global Market, Free Market System, and Free trade, wants to further the interests of American Business around the world
      • Ideational/Normative Interests
        • Values that we hold dear, and upon which we base of national identity on
          • Example: Human Rights & Democracy
    • It is important to note that National Interests are debated internally within America
      • Depending on who wins the majority of the house will guide US Foreign Policy interests
2.5: The Bush National Security Statement
  • 2002 Sept Statement of Grand Strategy, threat of transnational terrorism, changed policies and US was willing to make to target Al Qaeda
  • Grand Strategy, can be thought of the organized set of ideas that animates an administration's vision for America's role in the world
    • What are its goals? What types of policies are we going to implement to pursue those goals?
  • "We will use Military force if you are harboring terrorists we will come after you" was the message
2.6: Donald Trump's Speech to the Joint Session of Congress and American National Interests
  • President Donald Trump sees terrorism such as ISIS as a major security threat
  • Trump is interested in destroying terrorism, Bush wanted to use military force, but Trump wants to use extreme vetting procedures to restrict immigration form Muslim countries