Since the beginnings of America, foreign policy has been a hot topic. How do we maintain relationships with other countries that do not share our values and beliefs, but also ensure liberty for ourselves and others?
Study/Know
1 - Read (SKIM like Sis. Martin taught you, seriously...this article is long. Don't spend more than an hour skimming/reading it) the Wikipedia article on the History of U.S. Foreign Policy, and trace the shifts in America's outlook on foreign policy through the years. Print it out and underline the main points. (I copied the article, took out all the formatting and put it in a google doc. You can access it here. When you print, print 2 pages per sheet and it will take 10 sheets.)
2 - Watch this Crash Course video on Foreign Policy (10 min)
3 - Watch this video on Domestic vs. Foreign Policy and the people involved (15 min)
Learn/Understand
There were several telegrams and speeches given after World War 2 which shaped foreign policies between America and the USSR, leading to the Cold War. These documents include:
• George Kennan's "Long Telegram"
• "Novikov Telegram"
• Churchill's "The Sinews of Peace" speech
• Truman Doctrine
• Marshall Plan
• Molotov Plan
• NSC-68
I don't expect you to read these, but research each of them and summarize their main points in your commonplace books. A good place to look for a short summary will be your Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.
Then, using your notes, write a few paragraphs about how American foreign policy has changed and why. How did these post World War II documents lead to the policy of containment that the U.S. adopted? Have they followed true principles? What principles did you find in the documents? Find scriptures or examples to back up your principles. Do you think, that given the circumstances, that this was the best course of action? Would you do anything differently? How do you think this policy will affect our future relations with other nations?
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