Historiography Paper II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historiography Paper II - Essay Example Following the end of World War Two, the US still faced a real threat from the USSR; this is where the foreign policy came in. Leading US politicians, statesmen and agencies designed a foreign policy that would cushion the country from negative ramifications brought about by its rapid rise as a global power. Specifically, the policy aimed at winning as many â€Å"friends† as possible and alienating hard-line anti-American nations. The Good Neighbor Policy, which the United States employed in its dealings with Latin American countries2. This policy was the embodiment of the objective of US policy at that time: to stem negative historical reactions to American interventions and promote cohesion between the United States and other countries. Over the course of global war, American policy went from benevolence (through grants and loans) and mild aggression to open intimidation and â€Å"bullying.† As it amassed more power, the US discarded the good neighbor approach in Latin America and engaged in explicit and blatant acts of aggression by sponsoring coups and armed rebellions in Latin American countries like Nicaragua, Panama, Chile, and Cuba. US policy went from maintaining world peace through peaceful interventions to sparking conflicts using armed interventions that embodi ed the â€Å"new† America3. Domestic influences had a significant influence on US international policy. Isolationist factions maintained that countries and regimes that openly and strongly opposed US policy should be maligned and marooned so that they would adhere to the ‘rules.† It is during this time that the United States started employing sanctions as a tool for exercising its military and economic influence4. It is safe to say that isolationist views were the architects of America’s high affinity for sanctions from the 1960s onwards. The international views held that America should embrace all countries regardless of their affiliations and ideologies. The