Democratic liberalism and United States foreign policy
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to examine the influence of ideology, specifically democratic liberalism, on the foreign policy of the United States. Two models of the role played by ideology in foreign policy are identified: the "see-saw" model, which is based on the realist tenet that power and security interests outweigh ideological concerns, and the "liberal lens" model, which contends that ideology plays a key role in the determination of interests. These models provide a theoretical frame for the empirical examination of five cases of United States foreign policy. The cases, which all involve the question of diplomatic recognition, are (1) Woodrow Wilson's nonrecognition of the Huerta regime in Mexico, (2) Wilson's nonrecognition of Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution, (3) Franklin Roosevelt's recognition of the Soviet Union, (4) Harry Truman's nonrecognition of communist China, and (5) Richard Nixon's rapprochement policy toward China. The case studies indicate that the see-saw model's depiction of ideological concerns and security interests as distinct and usually countervailing forces is fundamentally misleading. The liberal lens model is able to explain that when viewing the international landscape through the lens of democratic liberalism, United States foreign policy makers often determine interests in a way not predicted by realism. Interests are not perceived objectively, but are shaped, or refracted, by the lens of ideology. However, the case studies also reveal that the description of ideology in United States foreign policy provided by the liberal lens model does not apply to three sometimes overlapping types of cases: those in which the makers of foreign policy do not view international politics through a democratic liberal lens, those in which the lens of democratic liberalism does not provide a significantly different view than that from a typical realist perspective, and those in which ideological concerns are rooted in morality and detached from interests.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Shimko, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Political science|International law|International relations|American history
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