After its involvement in World War I, the United States took a cautious approach to foreign policy, striving to avoid being drawn into another global conflict. The country's leaders sought to focus on domestic issues and maintain a policy of isolationism. However, as tensions rose in Europe and Asia, the U.S. began to reevaluate its stance and adopt a more assertive approach on the world stage.
When confronted with hot spots around the world, the U.S. has been moving away from diplomatic approaches and toward showing force more prominently. This shift in strategy has been influenced by a variety of factors, including the rise of authoritarian regimes and the expansion of communism.
Some have characterized the intensifying U.S.-China competition as “a new Cold War.” Is this an accurate framing for the relationship? The escalating rivalry between the two superpowers has indeed drawn parallels to the Cold War era, with both countries vying for dominance in economic, technological, and military spheres.
The U.S.-Saudi relationship is stuck. America's policy toward the kingdom is rooted in flawed rationales and supported by a system of alliances that complicates efforts to address human rights abuses and regional instability. This has led to growing criticism of the U.S.'s close ties with Saudi Arabia.
Twenty years after the Iraq War began, scholarship on its causes can be usefully divided into the security school and the hegemony school. The U.S.'s involvement in Iraq highlighted the complexities of interventionism and the challenges of nation-building in a volatile region.
For more than six decades, a tenuous peace has prevailed in the Taiwan Strait, enabling Taiwan's democratic transformation and economic ascendance. The U.S. has played a crucial role in maintaining stability in the region and supporting Taiwan's independence from China.
World War II transformed the United States from a midlevel global power to the leader of the “free world.” With this rapid rise in power and influence, the U.S. became the primary force shaping the post-war international order.
After the watershed October 7 export controls hobbled China's advanced semiconductor industry, China is striking back. The U.S. and China are engaged in a high-stakes trade war, with both countries imposing tariffs and sanctions on each other in a bid for economic supremacy.
Department and Agency Roles and Responsibilities; Department and Agency Decision-Making and Coordination; Country and Regional Priorities... The U.S. government's foreign policy decisions are shaped by a complex web of agencies and departments, each with its own priorities and responsibilities.
Roughly seven-in-ten Americans (73%) say that good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace, while 26% say that military strength is the... Despite the growing emphasis on military power in U.S. foreign policy, a majority of Americans still believe in the importance of diplomacy as a means of resolving conflicts and maintaining peace.
