The fact that U.S. is the global superpower is unquestionable. Since the beginning of the 20th century, United States positioned itself as a dominant military and diplomatic force to reckon with (Palmer & Morgan, 2011). The country’s emergence as a global power is not an accident, but a result of careful planning and adoption of responsive policies. For example, economic expansion of 1890-1920 was crucial to the country’s rise to world-power status. The economic rise had the support of a rising population, which provided the manpower to expand agriculture and industry. The good economy also led to overseas trade, which contributed to further influence on the international forum as US values, beliefs and culture got introduced into other parts of the world. The robust economy also enabled the country’s leadership to develop a powerful nation. For example, the country’s defense was strengthened. The navy, for instance, had the necessary supply of equipment and technology to enable it control strategic trade routes.
The emergence of the U.S. as a global superpower came with changes to the U.S. foreign policy. However, the foreign policy adopted during the last century differs depending on the context. For example, before the World War II, U.S. adopted an isolationist foreign policy. The isolationist policy was largely influenced by the events of the World War I. The feeling on the ground was that the country was in a deep economic crisis following the heavy costs incurred during the war. As a result, the country’s leadership concentrated on the domestic affairs without intervening in major issues around the globe. However, the situation changed abruptly after the World War II. There was a consensus that no one would promote world peace better than the U.S. This paved the way for interventionist policies in the later years. For example, the passage of Truman Doctrine was a major statement that U.S. would not watch as Turkey and Greece fell to communism (Baker, 2004). Eisenhower administration later ensured that countries around the Middle East would not be made communist. This was later followed by the Berlin Air Lift after the Soviet Union blockade.
Since the World War II, the U.S. government has played an active role in creating peace in war-torn areas, and confronting its enemies who threaten their influence. In most of the cases, the justification provided is that diplomatic and military intervention is necessary in the areas where governments pose a security threat to its people and the world (Herring, 2008). It is also opined that these areas also require humanitarian help to prevent further loss of life and create normalcy. For example, in the last five years, the U.S. military has been involved in Libya and Iraq. Although deployment of US troops into Iraq took place during the presidency of George W. Bush, the second phase of the operation is still in force to date. The second phase was renamed “Operation New Dawn” in 2010. The operation is meant to fight the insurgency against the Iraqi government.
The involvement of the U.S. in Iraq continues to elicit strong emotions to date. While, on one hand, the government feels that the newly formed Iraqi government needs support to fight insurgency and stabilize its political stranglehold, there is still strong opposition to the prolonged stay of some military personnel in the country. With the government debt on an all time high, there are those who feel that there is no need to continue spending on a war that was not necessary in the first place. The government misled the people to believe that Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be false. This background infuriates many people within the country to ask for the full withdrawal of the U.S. troops.
The Iraqi people on their part remain divided on the continued stay of the U.S. troops. There are those whose support insurgency against the U.S. troops because they feel that the prolonged stay is an attempt to control the government and their resources. Since the Iraq invasion in 2002, insurgents have been fighting against the Iraqi government and foreign troops arguing that they are occupational forces who wanted a regime change.
Another incident, which points to U.S. interventionist strategies within the last five years, is the invasion of Libya in 2001. Christened “operation Odyssey Dawn,” the attack was meant to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973. The U.S, along with other countries such as the UK and France, wanted to implement a no-fly zone to prevent government (Gaddafi) forces from attacking anti-government forces. Although U.S. later passed its strategic command to NATO, critics of the attack argue that the government was supporting rebels to fight a legitimately elected government. Again, there are those who argue that the U.S. and her allies wanted a regime change in Libya.
The rise of the U.S. government as a global superpower, as well as the active involvement in the global issues, has had its implication on the domestic front. For example, it has implications on domestic spending, the choice of leaders in Congress and the White House, and Fourth Amendment protections. On domestic spending, for instance, much money is spent on the country’s defense programs. In 2012 alone, U.S. spent more than 39% of the world’s military expenditure. This development points to the fact that security is a major concern to the government as well as the citizens. A sizeable amount of the budget is also set aside to support humanitarian programs in other countries. The rise of the U.S. as a superpower has also affected the election of leaders. For example, foreign policy is one of the key areas the electorate consider when choosing their leaders. In 2008, for instance, it was one of the key reasons why some people never voted for John McCain because they feared that he would continue the policies of President Bush. In the wake of terrorism attacks on the American soil and the subsequent policies aimed at preventing terrorism, the people have also been concerned about respect for their privacy. As a consequence, the respect of the Fourth Amendment protections has become a key concern among the electorate.
In conclusion, the rise of U.S. as the global superpower was a long time coming. The good economic climate enjoyed in the late 1800’s combined with a growing population that provided the required labor and market for the goods led to expansion of the economy. This allowed for the subsequent expansion of the military and growing influence in world trade. However, the achievement of the superpower status also came with huge responsibilities of “policing” the world. Nevertheless, in the last few decades interventionist foreign policy has triumphed over isolationist policies because of the belief that threats to security and freedom in any part of the world also threaten the security and freedom of American citizens.
References
Baker, A. P. (2004). American soldiers overseas: The global military presence. Wesport, CT :
Greenwood Publishing Group.
Herring, G. C. (2008). From colony to superpower: U.S. foreign relations since 1776. New
York, NY : Oxford University Press.
Palmer, G., & Morgan, T. C. (2011). A theory of foreign policy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
