Foreign policy is the strategies chosen by a country to safeguard its national interests and achieve goals in international relations. It involves the pursuit of goals and aims through a variety of instruments, including diplomacy, economics, security, defense, military alliances, and even military intervention when necessary. It is carried out by a dedicated and talented group of people in the United States, in our embassies around the world, and in other international organizations.
A wise application of American power can advance not only our values but those of most other democratic countries, too. The threat (and use) of American military force evicted Iraqi troops from Kuwait, convinced Haiti’s junta to relinquish power, and broke the grip of al-Qaida in Afghanistan. International institutions such as the UN and NATO further the United States’ security interests and promote our economic and democratic ones.
The indisputable first objective of America’s foreign policy should be to preserve and enhance liberty, security, and prosperity at home by extending a zone of freedom and opportunity to the whole world. To do so will require sustaining and strengthening the bases of our comparative strength, making destabilizing arms races obsolete and limiting rivalries to those that promote peace and trade.
Diplomacy – the practice of negotiating and persuading through attraction rather than coercion – is an essential instrument of American foreign policy. It is the means by which we build bonds with other countries, lessening their dependence on cultural and political tactics that can sap our power over time.
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