The collection of strategies a country uses to advance its interests and protect its security in the world. It is a complex and interdependent field of study, evolving and changing along with the development and transformation of the international system and its actors.
A broad range of issues falls under the purview of foreign policy, encompassing everything from global trade to international development to countering threats and advancing democracy. The United States has a unique role in the world as the largest economy and most powerful military, and our decisions often have far-reaching effects in places thousands of miles away. With our outsized influence comes a unique responsibility to engage responsibly in international affairs and set a good example for others to follow.
The term “foreign policy” is often associated with hard and soft diplomacy, and the concept of power politics – a theory of international relations based on the belief that a state can be most effective in advancing its goals by building and maintaining a network of alliances with other countries. Other models, including isolationism and neutrality, are also sometimes used to describe a country’s approach to international engagement; however, these differ significantly in their philosophy and application.
Young Americans need to hear, in clear and accessible terms, that America’s leadership in the world is critical to its own economic prosperity, that it helps address crises far from our shores, and that standing up for human rights abroad prevents the spread of oppressive regimes. But they also need to understand why addressing educational needs, improving the economy, reducing the deficit and tackling the moral breakdown of society rank as higher priorities for Washington than combating terrorism, bolstering the military or promoting peace.
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