The Most Significant Moments of American Foreign Policy in the Past 50 Years
If it is true that “May you live in interesting times” is a curse; then American citizens have been living under the auspices of a curse for the past half century. American foreign policy now affects trade and politics in every country on the planet. Starting in Cuba in 1962, encompassing the globe in all directions and ending up with the 20012 Mid-East troupe withdrawals, American foreign policy has most certainly created some interesting time in this era.
In 1962, the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS) instituted a trade embargo against Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis followed later that year. The OAS dropped the embargo in 1975. America still does not trade freely with this country although we maintain a military base there. This is the (in)famous “Guantanamo Bay” which has featured so predominantly in regards to the detention of terrorist suspects. From 1962 to the present day, the relationship with Cuba has ongoing internal, immigration, and international influence.
In 1963, America and the Soviet Union entered into a Partial Test Ban Treaty. . This led to the SALT I agreement in 1972, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that same year and the SALT II agreement in 1979. Countries worldwide are still working through agreements with each other. The initial treaty was the significant first step in this process.
In 1964, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution known as the “Tonkin Gulf Resolution” that authorized President Johnson to use conventional military force in Southeast Asia leading to the Vietnam War. It repealed in 1970. The Paris Peace Accord ended the war in Vietnam in 1973. .
On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered a terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center Twin Towers, damaged the Pentagon and caused a plane crash in Pennsylvania. America’s foreign policy response initiated the ongoing “War on Terror”. This is a seemingly endless series of battles fought around the globe but most significantly in Afghanistan and Iraq. The foreign policy response extends to every country. It influenced most American International policy and internal policies. It has also influenced the relationships other nations have with one another as well.
American foreign policy has indeed created “interesting times” over the past fifty years. We are still working through some of the repercussions to this day. The rest of the world is as well. I hope that everyone will learn from the past errors and successes and the future will not be quite as interesting, and far more enjoyable for America and the rest of the world.
Works Cited
Grob, Marco. "Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience." Time Magazine. 9 2011. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2083745,00.html (accessed 3 31, 2012).
Nuclear Files . "Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere." Nuclear Files . 2012. http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/treaties/partial-test-ban/trty_partial-test-ban_1963-10-10.htm (accessed 3 31, 2012).
The United States of America. "The Tonkin Gulf Resolution." The United States of America: 100 Milestone Documents. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=98 (accessed 3 31, 2012).
United States Navy. "United States Navy: Guantano Bay." United States Navy: Guantano Bay. 2012. https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Guantanamo/index.htm (accessed 3 31, 2012).
