U.S. Foreign Policy Today – Leader of the Free World or America First?
American foreign policy today seems characterized by contradiction and ambivalence. There is a persistent narrative of American decline, yet at the same time the U.S. economy and military remain the strongest in the world. U.S. willingness to engage in military intervention across the globe has waned, yet allies in Europe and Asia look to America for leadership and protection more than in decades. China is seen as America’s rival number one, yet the most urgent crisis is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the Trump administration, the post-WW2 foreign policy consensus in the U.S. no longer holds, yet the Biden administration feels almost like a revival of American Cold War leadership.
This seminar will examine the various competing developments and trends in contemporary American foreign policy, as well as the actual U.S. involvement in supranational organizations like the UN and multilateral international agreements. Is the U.S. retreating from its global leadership position, as the “America First” movement intends, or is America more than ever “the indispensable nation,” as Madeleine Albright once claimed? As usual, satirical cartoons and videos will help lighten the mood in discussing these often serious and even grim topics.
Key Issues in American Foreign Policy – From George Washington to „America First“ and Beyond
This talk examines America’s evolving role in the world from its early days to the present: George Washington’s Farewell Address and the Monroe Doctrine, US involvement in the World Wars, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Finally, we will take a look at the present era starting with the 1990s “New World Order” and the post-9/11 “War on Terror” all the way to Trump’s “America First” slogan. Given the relative decline of American wealth, power, and respect in recent decades, the question today is: what lies beyond American global hegemony and what does it mean for the transatlantic relationship? As usual, political cartoons and satirical videos will help liven up the serious issues at hand.
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