This document outlines the roots of U.S. foreign and defense policy since World War 2. It discusses the Cold War era and containment policy, as well as lessons learned from conflicts like Vietnam and the fall of the Soviet Union. Subsequent sections cover major events and security challenges in the post-Cold War period, including the Gulf War, 9/11 attacks, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Arab Spring, and rise of ISIS. It also examines the military dimensions of policy regarding nuclear deterrence, conventional and unconventional warfare, and transnational terrorism. The economic dimensions discussed include trade relations and access to natural resources.

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Chapter 17

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The cold war era and its lessons
Containment
Bipolar power structure
Vietnam
Mikhail Gorbachev and the fall of the Soviet Union

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The post-cold war era and its lessons
The air wars of the 1990s
Multilateralism approach
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War 1990
Serbian aggression and war in the Balkans
 Bosnia 1995
 “Ethnic cleansing” in Kosovo 1999

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The post-cold war era and its lessons
The war on terrorism
 9-11 World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks
 Afghanistan invasion and ouster of Taliban

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The post-cold war era and its lessons
The Iraq War
 George W. Bush announces new preemptive war doctrine
 Rationale for war: suspected weapons of mass destruction
Strong international objection to military action
 Postwar Iraq very unstable
 Heavy involvement in Iraq limited U.S. ability to respond
on other fronts
 Waning public support and the “surge” of 2007

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The post-cold war era and its lessons
The Afghanistan escalation and Pakistan
 Taliban slowly reasserting control
 Pakistan used as a safe haven for Taliban
 Afghan surge
 Analysts and the Pakistani security concern
 Drawdown of U.S. troops

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The Roots of U.S. Foreign
and Defense Policy
The Arab Spring and the Iranian nuclear threat
Unrest and protest in Tunisia spreads to Egypt and to nearly
every Arab country
U.S. caught off guard by the scale of the uprisings
U.S. and NATO military intervention in Libya
U.S. and the Syrian civil war
Rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq
UN-backed economic sanctions on Iran because of its
nuclear program

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The Military Dimension of
National Security Policy
Military power, uses, and capabilities
Nuclear war
 Deterrence policy
 Mutually assured destruction (MAD)
 Threat of a rogue nation or terrorist group getting and
using a nuclear weapon

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The Military Dimension of
National Security Policy
Military power, uses, and capabilities
Conventional war
 U.S. capability: two simultaneous medium-sized wars
 Highly advanced weapons systems
 All-volunteer military
 2012 restructuring of the military

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The Military Dimension of
National Security Policy
Military power, uses, and capabilities
Unconventional (guerilla) war
 Unconventional attacks and tactics
 “Winning their hearts and minds”
 U.S. military struggles to adapt
 Recent reforms aimed at making the military better able
to combat unconventional warfare

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The Military Dimension of
National Security Policy
Military power, uses, and capabilities
Transnational terrorism
 U.S. not prepared before 9/11: too few linguists, not
enough focus on the threat of terrorism
 War on terrorism aimed at groups versus nations
 Lack of defined battlefronts

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The Military Dimension of
National Security Policy
The politics of national defense
Public opinion
 Generally supportive
 Wanes if military conflict extends for long period
The military-industrial complex

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The Economic Dimension of
National Security Policy
Three world economic centers
United States, Europe, Pacific Rim
Promoting global trade
Marshall Plan
Multinational corporations
Economic globalization
Free trade and protectionism
Trade imbalance and China

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The Economic Dimension of
National Security Policy
Maintaining access to oil and other natural resources
Middle East and the Gulf War
Assisting developing nations
IMF and World Bank
Misconceptions and low popular support in U.S.
Stabilizing the global economy

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