What Is Foreign Policy?
A set of principles and practices governing the conduct of a country’s affairs with other countries and international organizations.
Foreign policy is the field of government concerned with relations between nations and the use of diplomatic and military means to advance those relations. It encompasses policies that range from economic development to negotiating treaties and war.
The central objective of American foreign policy should be to promote an international order that includes democracy and markets—to expand the zone of peace and prosperity in which Americans already live, making it available to all the world’s people. Pursuing this goal is not charity; it is profoundly in America’s self-interest.
Achieving this goal requires America to lead as well as listen, to give as well as take, and to be willing to sacrifice in the interest of our national security. It also requires a strong partnership with the people of other countries.
One major element of American foreign policy is maintaining access to key resources and markets around the globe, from natural resources like oil to financial ones like international investment. It also involves helping to develop economies in other parts of the world and providing a counterbalance against growing global powers like China and a resurgent Russia.
In addition, America has a responsibility to help the world’s “have-nots.” We spend hundreds of billions each year on foreign aid, supporting efforts to modernize and stabilize developing countries. And we fight global terrorism and the ideological roots of extremism.
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