Moral Dimensions Of American Foreign Policy

Addressing recurrent themes and unresolved problems In foreign policy, this volume makes Important distinctions between realism and Idealism, prudential behavior and practical morality, and power and force. Contribu­tors elaborate on conflicting views of international cooperation and devel­opment, national interest and interdependence, and differing concepts of political morality. Initially published by Transaction in 1984, the volume addresses issues of enduring significance in a post-Cold War environment and comes at a significant time in world history, when policymakers are compelled to reconsider the basis of conflict and consensus In terms other than pro-Western or pro-Communist values. It has proven to be an essential resource for political scientists and theorists, policymakers, ethics scholars, and historians.

Addressing recurrent themes and unresolved problems In foreign policy, this volume makes Important distinctions between realism and Idealism, prudential behavior and practical morality, and power and force. Contribu­tors elaborate on conflicting views of international cooperation and devel­opment, national interest and interdependence, and differing concepts of political morality. Initially published by Transaction in 1984, the volume addresses issues of enduring significance in a post-Cold War environment and comes at a significant time in world history, when policymakers are compelled to reconsider the basis of conflict and consensus In terms other than pro-Western or pro-Communist values. It has proven to be an essential resource for political scientists and theorists, policymakers, ethics scholars, and historians.

What is the role of ethics in American foreign policy? The Trump Administration has elevated this from a theoretical question to front-page news. Should ethics even play a role, or should we only focus on defending our material interests? In Do Morals Matter? Joseph S. Nye provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have-and have not-incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Nye examines each presidency during theAmerican era post-1945 and scores them on the success they achieved in implementing an ethical foreign policy. Alongside this, he evaluates their leadership qualities, explaining which approaches work and which ones do not.

Focusing on post-World War II American foreign policy and its intellectual architect, George Kennan, this volume explores the moral dimensions of realpolitik and the ethical dilemmas posed by present-day politics. Is Kennan responsible for persuading the U.S. foreign policy establishment that morality should go by the wayside? Or was Kennan right to regard as "presumptuous" the idea that Americans should tell other societies how to behave? Kennan gives his own influential view in an article reprinted here from Foreign Affairs (1985/96). (Workshop 6)

Ethics, American Foreign Policy and the Third World provides a balanced historical analysis of the rhetoric and reality of American foreign policy toward Third World nations, emphasizing the period since the end of World War II. Cingranelli concentrates on the moral dimensions of foreign policy - asking important questions about what should be the goals of American interaction with the Third World. Throughout the book, there is a focus on how American policy has encouraged or hindered the expression of human rights. Cingranelli considers various interpretative approaches to readings of public records and documents. To aid his analysis, he presents a typology of different objectives in foreign policy - Nationalist, Exceptionalist, Progressive, and Radical Progressive. Contrasting the periods before and after World War II, he argues that, despite setbacks and inconsistencies, American foreign policy toward the Third World has increasingly included progressive values toward human rights and democracy.

Most international relations specialists since World War II have assumed that morality plays only the most peripheral role in the making of substantive foreign policy decisions. To show that moral norms can, and do, significantly affect international affairs, Robert McElroy investigates four cases of American foreign policy-making: U.S. food aid to the Soviet Union during the Russian famine of 1921, Nixon's decision to alter U.S. policies on biochemical weapons production in 1969, the signing of the Panama Canal Treaties in 1978, and the bombing of Dresden during World War II. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

While the 1990s gave rise to a wealth of literature on the notion of ethical foreign policy, it has tended to simply focus on a version of realism, which overlooks the role of ethics in international affairs. This book explores ethical realism as a theoretical framework.