Unit 3 Assigment: Expansionism versus Spread of Ideology

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The goal of any foreign policy of any given nation in the world is to advance its national interest while safeguarding its sovereign rights in international circles. The United States Foreign Policy in the past century has been to safeguard its economic interests while establishing itself as the de facto global leaderCITATION Ser15 \p 118 \l 1033 (Sergent 118). Foreign policy is, therefore, a malleable tool often used by policy makers to advance their interests at any given time. Foreign policy must therefore consistently change to reflect the dynamic global order. Prior to the World War, the United States pursued a policy of Isolation with regard to global diplomatic activities choosing to remain aloof from interfering with the local political activities of a nation. As such, the United States only got in the world Wars when its citizens and economic activities were directly threatened. After the World Wars, the United States abandoned this policy and begun the policy of InterventionismCITATION Hix09 \p 231 \l 1033 (Hixson 231).
US Foreign Policy is critical as it guides how the US State Department and its agencies relate to other countries. Foreign Policy also affects US companies that may be prohibited with trading with a given country based on the foreign policy agenda of the United States. A key example of this is the Iran Sanctions placed on Iran by the US and the United NationsCITATION Dia16 \p 2 \l 1033 (Rennack 2). As a result of the sanctions, based on US policy on not allowing nuclear proliferation to Middle East countries, United States allies and companies were forbidden from trading with IranCITATION Dia16 \p 3 \l 1033 (Rennack 3). Iranian securities held in allied banks were not released to IranCITATION Dia16 \p 3 \l 1033 (Rennack 3).
US Foreign policy has evolved over the decades. Its main goal while remaining the same, safeguarding US interests, the objectives of foreign policy have evolved, and the tools to achieve these goals have changed with time. The paper will look at two different newspaper article in two different times. The Paper will attempt to study the change in US foreign policy in that particular time. The paper will juxtapose these two instances and attempt to understand the most important motivations, justifications, and the underlying rationale for action taken in pursuit of US foreign policy.
Expansionism versus Spread of Ideology
The Spanish-American war was sparked by the US insistence that Spain liberates Cuba from its colonial bounds. Its insistence led to the war that culminated in the battle of Manila. The battle ended with the US taking control of the Philippines from the Spaniards. The Herald newspaper article addresses the aftermath of the war.
The Cold War was the antagonism experienced between the US and the USSR in their attempt to spread their ideologies across the globeCITATION Her08 \p 72 \l 1033 (Herring 72). As such, the Saturday Evening Post article looks at the US reaction to the spread of communism in Laos.
In 1898, the United States favored expansionism supported by strong public sentiment. As such, the US saw the war with Spain as an opportunity to annex Puerto Rico and gain territoryCITATION Bre09 \p 3 \l 1033...