Foreign Policy Challenges of the 1990s
The Lesson Activities will help you develop these 21st century skills:
· Critical thinking and problem-solving
· Communication
Directions
You will evaluate some of these activities yourself, and your teacher may evaluate others. Please save this document before beginning the lesson and keep the document open for reference during the lesson. Type your answers directly in this document for all activities.
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Self-Checked Activities
Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link on the Summary screen to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work.
1. Tiananmen Response
In May and June of 1989, students in Beijing, China staged a pro-democracy demonstration in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The Chinese government's response shocked the world when cameras saw tanks roll into the square and fire into the crowds. Over the course of several days, hundreds were killed, injured, or arrested. The outcry here in the United States was profound. The nation, and Congress, called for a swift and strong response from the President. President Bush, however, measured his response against the United States' long-term interest in US-Sino relations, imposing sanctions, but also using diplomacy and patience to demonstrate strength and support of pro-democracy movements while not alienating the Chinese government.
Read this unclassified memo outlining the themes President Bush put forward when he sent his National Security Advisor and Deputy Secretary of State on a secret meeting with Chinese officials to assess the situation and keep lines of communication open.
What were the key points Bush wanted communicated to China? How did Bush characterize the United States' position in a way that did not alienate China?
Sample answer:
Answers will vary, but should focus on the fact that Bush considered the US-China relationship vital to each country's economy and to international peace. Bush communicated a tone of cautious friendship, but indicated that while the United States would respect China's handling of internal affairs, the Chinese government had to understand the internal affairs of the United States, which included support for democracy world-wide and an expectation of its president to act on it. Bush warned China, without threatening, that its response to its internal crisis would have implications for its external relations with the United States.
2. New World Order
In September 1990, a little more than a month after Iraq invaded Kuwait, President George H.W. Bush gave a speech to Congress in which he described "A world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle. A world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice. A world where the strong respect the rights of the weak." Read the speech again, and then list the pros and cons of such a policy. What might the role of the United States be in global affairs based on this policy?
Sample answer:
Answers might include the following:
Pros: Alliances and cooperation; countries can count on each other to stand up against situations like Kuwait; strong role for United States on the world stage
Cons: Policy is vague and not specific enough about United States' role; United States could get dragged into situations that are outside our own interests; costs associated with repeated international involvements could be exhorbitant
The United States' role in global affairs could be constant and multi-faceted under this doctrine. Without set parameters, it would be difficult to assess where the limits should be of US involvement in foreign affairs.
3. Presidential Foreign Policy Decisions
Use the materials you have reviewed and your own knowledge of the foreign policy challenges facing the United States after the Cold War to write an essay analyzing each president's overall approach to foreign affairs. Include the general doctrine followed by each, and the way each used idealism, Realpolitik, multilateralism, and/or unilateralism to achieve his objectives for the United States.
Sample answer:
Answers should include the following:
Post-Cold War challenges for the United States in foreign policy included a need to fill the void left by the lack of a "target." Containment of communism was no longer a primary focus, so the United States needed a purpose for foreign engagement.
Both President G.H.W. Bush and President Clinton believed the United States should take a leadership role in the world. Bush espoused the New World Order, in which countries would ally for common purpose to support and protect each other. This vision focused on a multilateral approach and embodied a highly idealistic vision of foreign relations. President Clinton shared this vision in his Doctrine of Enlargement, which sought to bring democracy, humanitarianism, and free trade to countries around the globe. Clinton, because of his difficulty garnering trust from the US military, was cautious in his use of military force, sometimes to the detriment of his humanitarian goals; but he was also focused on making sure that his ideals did not overshadow what was best for expanding markets and protecting US citizens and soldiers.
President George W. Bush, who would enter the scene at the end of the 1990s and carry a new vision forward following the early 2000s terror attacks, took a much more unilateral stance with the Bush Doctrine of preemption. While his focus did shift somewhat to multilateralism in terms of helping conquered countries rebuild their political structures in democratic form, he was highly focused on the United States, its best interests, and its ability to take on whatever task necessary with or without allies.
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