Foreign policy encompasses a broad range of activities and issues that influence and interact with one another. It includes establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations with nations around the world through embassies, consulates, and international organizations; addressing economic issues with trade agreements and aid; and promoting international cooperation in global issues like climate change and pandemics.
Unlike domestic politics, which is affected by shifting public opinion and the whims of party leaders, foreign policy rarely changes with the passage of time. While a new president can shift policies, the institutional architecture that supports them remains mostly the same. The State Department, for example, has grown from a small agency with 700 employees in the 1930s to a 70,000-person bureaucracy. When a crisis hits, the National Security Council (NSC) swiftly swings into action as members brief the president on options and the president decides what to do.
Many foreign policy issues are complex and interdependent. The wise application of American primacy—which Madeleine Albright described as being the “ability to mobilize the world for action where others cannot”—furthers US interests and values. Its use has evicted Iraqi troops from Kuwait, convinced Haiti’s military junta to relinquish power, ended Serbian atrocities in Kosovo, and broke al-Qaida’s hold over Afghanistan. But America’s ability to leverage its power successfully depends on whether other nations believe that it is being used not just in our own interest but also theirs. This requires building beneficial relationships with all countries and demonstrating that what we do abroad matters to Americans, too.
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