U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy

One of the more important models for analyzing American foreign and national security policies is that which focuses upon the President and United States as leaders in the world environment. Since the end of the Second World War, many writers specializing in foreign policy have expressed a sentiment which looks at world events in terms of how they were affected by U.S. leadership. Under this model, one of the major themes in the study of foreign policy has been the decline of U.S. leadership in the world since the 1960s (Clarke, 1995, pp. 42-43).

Under this sort of model, it has been natural for analysis to include examination of the performance of the President in the formulation and implementation of foreign and national security policies. Various policies have been identified with particular administrations (and have usually been named after the President responsible for the policies). These policies have then been analyzed with reference to the international and domestic conditions present during the particular administrations and have been compared to the policies of other administrations (Ambrose, 1991, pp. 32-41).

The foreign and national security policies initiated by the Clinton administration were criticized early on for having no direction. In fact, Clinton had no experience in foreign policy or international relations and was elected because his focus was centered on domestic issues. Inaugurated in Januar

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th his active support of NAFTA and GATT. His most important efforts in this area have been in Asia. In 1994, Clinton convened the heads of the 15 states in the Pacific region in Seattle to create a free trade zone; one year later, these heads of state signed an accord pledging to develop just such a trade zone by 2010. Also in 1994, Clinton threatened Japan with trade sanctions after it failed to adhere to a 1989 agreement to open its market to American cellular phones. These threats eventually proved effective. These actions showed that the administration was serious about pursuing the goal of making the world accept free trade principles (Brinkley, 1997, pp. 138-39). Critics have charged that this policy emphasizing free trade does not address the traditional issues of foreign policy. This policy has failed to adequately address the problem areas in the world, such as the Balkans, Iraq, Korea, or central Africa. In all of these areas, the Clinton administration has fallen down in its attempts to resolve serious conflicts. To the rest of the world, the Clinton policies have appeared haphazard and uneven; indeed, the administration has not shown the stomach for staying engaged in troublesome situations which do not lend t
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Approximate Word count = 1763
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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