Foreign Policy Essay, Research Paper

Foreign policies are extremely important to the United States. The United States is fully recognized as the most powerful nation on earth and with that power comes definitive sense of responsibility. The main purpose of every countries foreign policy is to survive and stay strong in today s world. It is policy that provides a strong national security, keeps a good economy with other nations, and is a chance to provide influence on the world; but above all this is the desire for international peace. One of the main ways to conduct good foreign policy is that of diplomacy, where nations negotiate and compromise problems they might have in order to get along. By these diplomatic relations, countries can interact with one another and learn to work together for a better understanding of each other s nations. Every president uses diplomacy as part of his foreign policy. We will be examining the last term of the Clinton administration and his perspective of foreign policies and China.

Many say that Bill Clintons foreign policy for his first term is passive and reactive. Leading Republicans say that the Clinton administration was a foreign policy of wish fulfillment and that it wanted China to respect their people and their rights. His

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position has overwhelmed his administration since its initiation. Clinton began the expansion of his presidential power concerning foreign policy, and many historians say that the only other president to rival this power was Nixon. The basis of the United States policy toward Asia has always been that of an Open Door Policy , which means a belief that, no power, east or west, should have domination in the region. As China s economy escalates so will their need for oil. With limited resources and China having an authoritarian government, eventually interests will clash over the need for oil. The recent policy is to encourage economic growth in anticipation of a demographic up swell. However, if conflict is probable with China then anything that we do hurts us if a war breaks out. One million Chinese buy products made in the U.S.; they can also build an army that is larger than the entire population of the U.S. Our technology is our only protection even though China has taken duel use of technology for military purposes.

This timid and wishful approach to foreign policy made some Americans quite upset; it is not like the United States not to keep an active role in the world. Clinton felt that he was doing

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a good job though, and likes to be actively involved as a world peacemaker. Among the many people who thoroughly disagreed with Clinton s policy towards China was Notra Turlock. Trulock states the following:

Clinton’s policies towards China can hardly be judged a success, any more so than his policies toward Russia. I want to say that Clinton invested more in the outcome of his China policy than he did in Russia. Certainly a lot of careers were ruined along the way and it may be fair to

say that China was the “third rail” of the Clinton foreign

policy. By nearly every measure, Clinton foreign policy on China can be judged a failure. (enterstageright.com)

Also, the China visit has been questioned by some who say it was ill timed since Congress was investigating charges that Chinese officials tried to influence American policy with contributions to the Democratic Party and suspicions.

In conclusion, foreign policy is an important part of any presidential administration. President Clinton had his own foreign policies just as every other president had and will have. As any politician knows it its best to deal with foreign policy through diplomacy. There were many people who disagreed with Clinton s perspective on China especially when it charges came about from contributions to the Democratic Party. In order to

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keep peace throughout the world, foreign policy is needed.

Sources

www.geocites.com/capitalhill.

www.enterstageright.com.

www.asiamedia.ucla.edu.