Foreign and Defense Policy
Supplemental Lecture
The vast majority of foreign policy decisions are
made by the president and his advisors
Other actors can influence foreign policy:
The public
Can voice support for or opposition to specific policies
(Vietnam, Persian Gulf War)
Certain groups play a strong role in relations with a
specific country or region (Cuba, Israel)
Other actors can influence foreign policy:
Congress
Budget, incl. military, foreign aid, etc.
Tries to get the president to include it in
important decisions
Individual members of Congress can get
involved in specific foreign policy issues
(Richard Lugar, R-IN)
Other actors can influence foreign policy:
Businesses have often convinced the
government to intervene in other countries to
protect the interests of that specific company
Chile/ALCOA
Guatemala/Dole
Other actors can influence foreign policy:
Military-industrial complex
Military establishment, weapons manufacturers,
some members of Congress
Support high level of defense spending,
regardless of the objective security needs of
the US
Claim that spending on the military creates jobs
(but it actually hurts the economy)
Defense Policy:
The US military is prepared for 6 types of
military actions
1. Unlimited nuclear warfare (Cold War) - US and
Russia have reduced their nuclear stockpiles and
their level of readiness
2. Limited nuclear war – use of a small number of
nukes in an otherwise conventional war, or the
use of a small number of nukes by themselves
Defense Policy:
The US military is prepared for 6 types of
military actions
3. Unlimited conventional warfare –
prolonged, large-scale war on several
fronts
4. Limited conventional warfare –
designed to be quick and decisive
US military plans to fight and win two
simultaneous regional conflicts
Defense Policy:
The US military is prepared for 6 types of
military actions
5. Guerilla warfare (counterinsurgency)
6. Police-type actions – peacekeeping,
fighting drug trafficking, maintaining
order, providing training
Types of Weaponry
Conventional
Nuclear
Large: land-based missiles, submarine-
based missiles, delivered by airplane
Small – land-mines, artillery shells, etc.
Chemical & biological weapons