Post-Cold War American Foreign Policy

<p>This study assesses American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. As the world's sole superpower American leadership has followed one of four policies in the post-Cold War period: unilateral engagement multilateral engagement through existing organizations multilateral engagement through ad hoc coalitions and non-engagement or engagement through a third party. The author assesses three case studies for each policy category identifying the intervening variables leading American foreign policy decision-makers to each outcome. The case studies identify six intervening variables: American interest leadership legitimacy required capabilities available multilateral organizations and alternate willing actors. The author then constructs a framework for American foreign policy decision-making applying the six intervening variables as they lead to each of the four possible policy outcomes. Following this the writer uses one case demonstrating the critical need to adequately contextualize the situation in order to avoid inaccurate results emerging from the framework. Finally two recent cases of American foreign policy not yet mature enough to allow comprehensive analysis validate the potential to apply the framework. Ultimately the author concludes that while there is no one foreign policy option for the United States to apply as the lone superpower the correct analysis of the given situation results in predictable policy choices. The policy choices are recognizable not only for the American policy-makers but also the domestic population as it scrutinizes its government and the international community as it tries to identify what it expects from the global leader. The framework produced offers a lens to examine American foreign policy-making for this purpose.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>