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US and the World Since the end of the Cold War (Unilateralism vs…
US and the World Since the end of the Cold War
Unilateralism vs Internationalism
Francis Fukuyama
- 'end of history'. Ideological unilateralism?
Rise of global Islam as a terror threat has challenged this notion of ideological hegemony. if it does exist, then the US has continually had to fight to maintain it
Clinton - National security advisor Chris Lake was more committed to working within the bounds of international institutions.
International institutions simply functioning as tools with which to try and legitimise unilateral action taken by America: US-led coalition in Iraq during the first Gulf War
Change over Time:
George C. Herring
- by 2008, American had squandered its primacy through the actions it had taken because it was bent on perpetuating its dominant role.
Daniel Sergant
has argued in 2015 that, in a longer term historicla perspective, US primary started to be challenged in the crisis years of the 1970s
Hal Brands
, 2016 - The unipolar moment wasn't the inevitable product of the collapse of the Soviet Union , but part of a broader process: globalization, democrtization and technological change
Out of the bipolar framework - e.g. wave of democratizations across post-colonial Africa
Willingness to act in flagrant violation of principles and legal institutions at an international level
1989: Invasion of Panama. 'Operation Just Cause'
'Powell Doctrine' - although it had stressed unilateralism and national interest, it was a doctrine based on the idea of both national and international consensus behind action
Relationship with Latin America: Had been an important strategic position during the Cold War, intervening such as in Nicaragua. Latin America embraced internationalism and forces of economic globalization meant it broke out of US hegemony
Bush Jr. - Nationalist focus in first term - 'Vulcans', like Cheney. Had cut off diplomatic relations with North Korea, revived Reagan's missile defence system. Pseudo multilateralism in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks. Condoleeza Rice from 2004: Re-opened diplomatic relations with N Korea, 2005: 50% of world's defence building
9/11: Terrorism and dealing with non-state actors
Ivo Daddler -
Provided Bush with the mandate to implement the views he had always held. Withdrew from ABM, blocked Bio weapons convention, roadblocked attempts to give the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over the US
Melvyn Leffler
- 9/11 policy in line with US FP sine ned of CW. Unilateralism open door, free markets and the emerging of interests and values
Derek Chollet
- more unaswered qs. Not the case that purpose as lost after CW and then found again after 9/11
Domestic impact - patriot act and data mining. Implications for the 'small government' advocated by Reagan and then Bush
Iraq coalition of the willing, no UN approval, WMD, De-Baathification process
Relationship with Europe
Yugoslavia
- Bush Sr. had dismissed as a European issue. Up to 1995, limited to supplies, Serb Massacre galvanized int. community
Kosovo
- Albright - project for a New Amrican Century
Relationship with Globalization
Clinton: 1999: Battle of Seattle demonstration against perceived impact of economic globalization, 1500 disparate groups protesting a meeting of the World Trade Center
Had signed NAFTA in 1993
An economic globalization without a moral conscience? Willing to give China most favoured nation status in 1993
Role in process of globalization had been primary economic: Strength had been derived from its role as a creditor nation. Under Bush Jr. was borrowing around 800 billion dollars a year from China/Japan/ S. Korea
Challenged traditional spheres of influence - e.g. Latin America started to turn towards other key trading partners, like China and SE Asia
Andrew J. Bacevich
- 2002. Disparity between contemporary criticism and reality. Reality was a global strategy of 'openness'. Globalization was ultimately about power and the US owned the process through its technological and economic supremacy
Jeffrey Engel
- But, does the reality necessitate a questioning of what a strategy of 'openness' actually means . There is a difference between making the world safe and making the world hospitable for American Democracy
Human rights agenda and humanitarianism
Challenges the idea of the 'end of history' as Afro-Asian actors were heavily involved in shaping the international human rights agenda from the 1940s to 1960s
Humanitarian aid in Somalia (Operation Restore Hope) - sent 35,000 troops, but quickly passed over to the UN and made sure that it was a solely humanitarian mission
Religion and Foreign Policy
Andrew Preston
- sword and the spirit. Unique situation which is a combination of the benefits of free security and the need to reflect the opinions of the populace in a democracy
E.g. Bush Sr.'s involvement in the Gulf War criticised by he pres of the Episcopal church
70% of white evangelicals voted for Bush Sr. in 1988, only 55% by 1992
JP Herzog
, 1991 - spiritual industrial complex. During the Cold War, America fought faith with faith. Believing in God because the true test of hatred of communism
Religious groups had promoted the use of religion as an ideological tool in Southern Vietnam
A new spiritual crusade after 9/11 in the context of Bush Jr's civilization talk
Joseph Nye - soft power over the empire on which the sun never sets
The Middle East
Thomas E. Reichs
- Failure to deal with the aftermath of the first Gulf War culminated in the ill-advised invasion of Iraq in 2003. Loo for continuities, rather than invasion of the middle east by Bush Jr. as a reactionary policy to 9/11 alone. Saddam Hussein left with 80,000 Republican guards
Andrew preston
- Iraq demonstrates the same cultural hubris as Vietnam and Phillipines . 'White man's burden' to re-build and democratize nations
Michael Bandelbaum
-shift from an interests based policy to a values based policy. E.g. Operation Provide Comfort in Kuwait
But - the rest of middle-eastern policy suggests that it is interests based. The 1991 Madrid Conference seemed 'values' based as it was bsed on a genine desire to mediate conflict. First time Palestine given a voice through negotiation with moderate voices rather than the PLO. Clinton's Oslo accords had ultimately fell through
Jim Miles:
Mandelbaum is just an apologist - hegemony is integrated into the new international order