US Presidential Doctrines: Foreign Policy Expansion - Essay Sample

Introduction

A doctrine is a collection of a set of principles and regulations that are applied by the government to help save the interests of the government on amending foreign policies. Throughout the course of history, there have been numerous doctrines that have been implemented by different presidents of the United States, to govern and protect the interests of the Americans. Therefore, doctrines have been used to expand the goal of foreign policy expansion towards a country or a region, through utilizing the power of the parliament to extend a foreign policy that will help favor the nation. As Kaine, (2017) observed, the doctrine serves a broader purpose, especially in ensuring that national security is not compromised from external forces and activates such as terrorism. A doctrine consists of a collection of goals and attitude defined by the United States foreign affairs, which dictates how the US associates with other countries, especially those capable of increasing economic and military tension.

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The end of world war II in 1945 marked the conclusion of the bloody war and the defeat of the Nazi regime that had oppressed and shuttered the economy of Europe (Chambers, 2017). However, the end of WW II, marked the beginning of a new cold war, as radical ideas from the Soviet Union in expanding and spreading communism diffused at a rapid pace. The Soviet Union's concepts of spreading communism were alarming, as minority groups were targeted to drive the communist agenda. Since the culmination of WW II, Greece was in a miserable state, but ripe for change. Therefore, the Soviet Union took the liberty of targeting the young, volatile nation by turning the sophisticated population to adopt the concept of communism to fight against the government. President Harry Truman felt obliged to intervene and support the countries that were in the brink of consumption from the devastating power of communism, to empower them to fight against communism. Through the enacting the Truman's Doctrine, the US officially found itself in the front line fighting against the spread of communism in Greece.

The Cold War Relationship that Existed Between the Soviet Union and the U.S

Hardly was the World War II treaty ink dried, when the United States and the Soviet Union entered into a new cold war that was characterized by a state of tension and military rearming. The relationship between the two superpower nations that had previously joined forces in fighting the Nazi in WW II, and liberating Europe from Nazi occupation, quickly escalated due to conflict of interests. The spread of communism in Europe and Asia marked the beginning of a bitter friendship between the two nations. China, under Mao Zedong, had already submitted and utterly transformed to become a communist nation from the Soviet Union's influence and support. Moreover, the Soviets were making advancements in Eastern Europe in spreading communism, without considering the effects it might have.

One of the characteristics depicted in the relationship between the Soviets and the US during the Cold War was the prevalence of higher tension on both sides. According to Underhill (2017), the increased tension saw an increase in government official phone calls tapping from both the Soviets and the US. Therefore, secrete police officials and Soviet spies saw an increase, as a way of intercepting and gathering intelligence from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Effects on Regional or Global Affairs Since it Was Announced During the Cold War

In fulfilling the pledge of offering aid and support to fight communism at the inception, Truman's doctrine marked the beginning of fighting against oppression and the spread of communism in Europe. Even though the Vietnam war ended in a devastating and miserable situation, Truman's doctrine achieved numerous supports across the globe to fight and contain the spread of communism. The fight on communism was geared towards safeguarding the American interest, and the rest of the world, through preventing the rapid increase in terrorism and oppression of the economy. Thus, the fight against communism has been deemed as the bedrock of sustaining the current global economy, which was influenced by the US, under Truman's Doctrine. In the bottom line, Truman's Doctrine is having contained the growth of external threats geared towards the United States and its economic growth.

Truman's doctrine has received numerous compliments on its stand against communism. However, behind the velvet gloves lies an iron fist that has forced many Americans to pay dully. One of the darker sides of Truman's doctrine is the heavy price paid by American citizens to help fuel the project. Since its inception, the doctrine was funded by public funds, imposing a financial burden on the Americans, irrespective of the higher unemployment rates in the nation.

The Current Relationship Between the U.S. and Russia

Since the inception of Truman's doctrine, the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union remained sour. For more than 40 years, the prevalence of Truman's doctrine altered the relationship between these two nations until today. The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the rebirth of Russia did not alter the prevalence of the bitter friendship the two nations had previously cemented. Therefore, the two sides still hold their different ideological concepts regarding the approach to building their economy. However, the United States has not relent or buckled on its stand in fighting against communism.

The Achievement of Truman's Doctrine

Since the first announcement of Truman's doctrine on May 13, 1947, the doctrine achieved its intended goal in stopping the spread of communism in Europe and other parts of Asia (Spalding, 2017). With support from the United Kingdom in supporting the different government to fight against communism, Truman's doctrine, received funding from the congress to help support governments that were in the brink of buckling into communism. Therefore, the doctrine reshaped the spread of communism as more pressure and support from the US government forced the communist to adopt capitalism.

References

Chambers, C. (2017). Halting the Iron Curtain at the Mediterranean: The Greek Civil War and the Origins of the Truman Doctrine (Doctoral dissertation). http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/76068

Kaine, T. (2017). A New Truman Doctrine: Grand Strategy in a Hyperconnected World. Foreign Aff., 96, 36. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2017-06-13/new-truman-doctrine

Spalding, E. E. (2017). The enduring significance of the Truman doctrine. Orbis, 61(4), 561-574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2017.08.001

Underhill, S. M. (2017). Prisoner of Context: The Truman Doctrine Speech and J. Edgar Hoover's Rhetorical Realism. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 20(3), 453-488. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/677427/summary.