Symbiosis: American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era

Abstract

The Policy of Containment served as the philosophical foundation of America's interaction with the world, providing continuity between nine administrations. Of greatest consequence, Containment required America to break all ties with the historical traditions of her foreign policy. Although the how of containment, as represented by national security strategy, differed from administration to administration, the why of containment remained consistent. For the first time in her history, America actively leveraged her national power to shape the long-term destiny of the globe. As a result, the United States emerged as the victor of the Cold War having achieved her stated national objectives, so containing communism and eliminating its security threat. With her victory came the demise of her foreign policy. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, America has struggled to define her place in the new-world order. As the wrold's remaining superpower, should she assume certain responsibilities? This paper defines, develops, and outlines American foreign policy in the post-Cold War era. As the history of American foreign policy charts the evolution of a fledgling political experiment to a world power, so the history of international relations charts the transformation of the international order from the central control of the emperor to the emergence of political concepts. Accordingly, the roots of Symbiosis are planted in the Lineage of American Foreign Policy (Chapter 2) and the Evolution of International Theory (Chapter 3). Armed with a common understanding of the historical and conceptual roots of American and Global Symbiosis, the statesman must fully understand the Contemporary Context of Symbiosis (Chapter 4) to define an effective foreign policy and international order. In doing so, he examines, analyzes, and determines the priorities of his generation.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA401288

Entities

People

  • Michael P. Killion

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Europe
  • Cold War
  • Foreign Policy
  • Geography
  • Globalization
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Treaties
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design