Foreign policy has always been an integral component of a nation’s political framework. However, in the current globalized landscape, this aspect has acquired additional importance. Foreign policy becomes especially crucial in the case of the world’s major powers, such as the United States. In this context, it may be difficult to navigate between the concepts of idealism and realism. From my perspective, the optimal choice for the United States is to avoid the extremes and rely on a balanced approach to foreign policy. More specifically, the paradigm is to comprise an effective combination of idealist and realist principles. It is vital to rely on the objective reality of the situation in the assessment of global affairs. The nation’s government should remain aware of the environment, adjusting the policy and reacting to new stressors whenever necessary. At the same time, it would be unwise to avoid the ideals. As important as realism is, abstract values and ideals serve as the ultimate navigation mark for the superpower’s approach to foreign affairs and external relations.
Isolationism and interventionism form another critical dichotomy of foreign politics, remaining at the center of heated debates in the United States. From one perspective, isolationist policies find increasing support among the world’s populations. Indeed, this mode of foreign policy allows governments to concentrate on the development of internal resources, promoting domestic production. Theoretically, isolationism has the potential to encourage employment and the economy of the country, making it work for the benefit of its own people. However, I believe that this approach reveals its effectiveness mostly in the case of smaller nations with a substantial domestic resource base. The United States is an important power in the global arena that exercises influence over various spheres of international affairs. Therefore, it is not the best choice to disregard this influence and withdraw from the global discussion. In other words, the U.S. demonstrates immense potential in terms of resolving the world’s topical issues. The country cannot afford to remain idle when its power can improve international stability and contribute to global growth.
The results of the recent quizzes can provide insight into the nature of my views on foreign politics. First of all, I am a Wilsonian, meaning that I support the efforts of international organizations in terms of preventing conflicts and ensuring global stability. I believe that military confrontations are an obsolete, ineffective way of resolving issues. Second, I am a libertarian, which is why my ideals lie in the area of freedom. I am convinced that coercion should not be a valid political instrument, as the most positive changes are only possible through voluntary choices. Finally, the third quiz showed that I am radical, which can be interpreted in accordance with my desire for urgent, profound changes. In my opinion, the current situation in the global arena remains alarming, which is why such transformations are needed. Overall, I agree with the quiz results, as they appear to reflect my stance on the matter at hand.
Ultimately, the current political landscape imposes severe challenges for the United States in terms of its foreign policy. I find global terrorism to the be the most pressing concern for the country at the moment. The 9/11 attacks launched a series of destructive attempts at undermining the developed democracies, and their rates have been on a stable increase (Iulian 910). This fight is difficult for the United States alone, which is why an emphasis on international counter-terrorism cooperation should be encouraged. Next, I consider foreign cyber-threats to be issue number two in the global environment. The government needs to allocated additional resources to its international cyberspace defense architecture to prevent vital structures from being affected. Finally, the third major challenge is related to the risks of a global war against the world’s other major powers. In order to address this problem, the country’s foreign policy needs to aim at constructive relations and mutually respectful interactions with its main rivals in the international arena.
Work Cited
Iulian, Raluca I. “International Terrorism in the 21st Century – 16 Years after 9/11 2001.” CBU International Conference Proceedings 2017, vol. 5, 2017, pp. 910-914.