The Enduring Vision (Research Paper Sample)

Name Instructor Course Date The Enduring Vision Question one Washington believed that the US should pursue its own interests first and foremost without getting involved in costly wars. His Farewell Address contains several principles guiding American foreign policy today. For example, Washington emphasized the importance of neutrality in international affairs and warned against joining military alliances that would tie the US down. he also recommended maintaining good relations with other countries, which would help prevent conflicts from erupting (Usher 29-31). Washington's ideals influenced America's approach to international relations for many years after his death. However, the Cold War and Vietnam changed American foreign policy significantly. After the Cold War, the US pursued a policy of global leadership, which involved using its military to promote democracy and economic development worldwide. This policy was known as "the Clinton doctrine." The Clinton Doctrine was later replaced by the Obama doctrine, emphasizing diplomacy and engagement over military intervention. Some policies changed when the US sent troops to Vietnam but realized that some of their allies (Canada and Australia) were helping their economic competitors, like South Korea, to develop nuclear weapons (Usher 36). Question two George Kennan's theory of containment was a response to the spread of communism following World War II. It argued that the best way to stop the spread of communism was to contain it by preventing its spread into new countries. The policy was first applied during the presidency of Dwight D (Whelan 197). Eisenhower and later continued under the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. George Kennan's theory of containment was an influential foreign policy created during the 1930s. When applied during the Turman and Eisenhower administrations, it united America through international cooperation to stop Soviet expansionism. Kennan also called for helping European allies rebuild their economies, capitalizing on American-Soviet agreements, and staying out of their conflicts (McLellan 216). Question three The military-industrial complex describes the relationship between the military and the arms industry. This relationship is often seen as problematic, as the military is seen as being too influenced by the arms industry and not enough influenced by pacifism or other reasons for military engagement (Fallows 46-48). Historical examples of the military-industrial complex in action include the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), the Iraq War, and the involvement of private military contractors in conflicts worldwide, a combination of super-power rivalry, social pressures for spending and techn...