U.s. Army War College

The Underpinnings of American Foreign Policy (Defense) U.s. Army War College

President Obama in his recent speeches, those given in December 2009, first at the United States Military Academy at West Point and later as he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize, surprised both liberals and conservatives with his forceful repudiation of terrorism and his willingness to use unilateral force to protect American vital interests. In response President Obama?s critics, this book examines the claim that American foreign policy is derived from our values and national experience, with distinct and unique underpinnings rooted in the history and psychology of early American colonists. Early American presidents, reflecting these underpinnings, established American foreign policy traditions that remain in place today, even as these traditions have evolved with our intervention and participation in the two World Wars, and subsequent role as the world?s preeminent super power. American Presidents? across the political spectrum have consistently centered their foreign policy decisions based on these distinctive American values and traditions. President Obama?s foreign policy, including his decision to escalate United States forces in Afghanistan, reflects the reasonable evolution of American foreign policy, and should not come as a surprise at home or abroad.