The Long-range goals set for foreign policy have been consistency since 1990, a period which has been associated with different presidents, wars and worst terrorists in the nation. Among the goals, the top priority is protecting the Americans from the terrorist’s attacks. The nation is known to be associated with worst attacks which lead to deaths of lots of people and destruction of the property thus affecting the entire operations of the country. The second goal is protecting the jobs of the American citizens. There is a record rate of 81 % on the success of protecting the American jobs since 1990. Immigrants are known to offer cheap labor thus making most employers prefer them over the Americans (Center, 2009). It leaves most Americans jobless and thus a need to maintain their jobs. The other policy is stopping the spread of weapons which cause mass destruction. There are Americans and other nations which are involved in the production of weapons such as nuclear weapons which could cause mass destruction and even destroy peace as they cause tension between nations producing them.
The general public and the opinion leaders have different views on the goals which should be prioritized in America. The general public thinks that protecting unites States from terrorism is the most important act while the council thinks that discontinuing the spread of the weapons of which causes destruction should be put first. The second priority according to the general public is protecting the American jobs while according to the council; protection from terrorism should come second (Dimock, 2013).
The American public is not entirely committed to the global involvements. The involvement is falling with time since the public feels that the United States is involved in too many activities to solve the world problems. The highest percentage feels that America should mind its business and concentrate on solving its home issues. There are some Americans who feel that participation in the world is a chance to improve the economies of the nations. Research shows that the involvement in the world business by America has increased over time. They are involved in almost all global activities such as promoting the welfare of the people and promotion of economy and business activities.
The public and opinion leaders had different ideas on how the anti-terrorism policies on Afghanistan war. The public felt that there was a 31 % chance of being safe while the CFR felt that the chances of being safe on the imposition of the policies were higher, 43 % (Dimock, 2013). There was the policy of the installation of the government phone and internet surveillance where the opinion leaders felt that it would be about 68 % safe while the opinion leaders felt it would only offer 39 % security. The application of the military drones on extremist’s targets was also different where the public felt that it would offer 50 % safety while the opinion leaders felt that a 70 % safety chance would be offered.
It is interesting that America is the leading power and yet differentiates the less and more important allies. It is supposed to be impartial so as to take care of the needs of all people. There should not be a rating of some nations being better allies than others as it may destroy peace between the countries (Center, 2009).
The results of the survey affected my views on public opinion in the foreign policy making since I did not think that the public had any contribution to foreign affairs. I thought they would only contribute to the national matters and the government to decide on the international affairs.
References
Center, P. R. (2009). America's place in the world 2009. An Investigation of Public and Leadership Opinion about International Affairs, 122.
Dimock, M. (2013). Public sees U.S power declining as support for global engagement slips. NUMBERS, FACTS AND TRENDS SHAPING THE WORLD, 110.
