American Foreign Policy

American Foreign Policy

Explain the concept of American Exceptionalism.

American Exceptionalism is the outlook, based on the assumption that the United States have a special place among other nations in terms of its national spirit, political and religious institutions, and it is established immigrants . The origins dates back to that position in 1630, when the book was published by John Winthrop's "city upon a hill", but some scientists have attributed its origin to the Alexis de Tocqueville, who argued that the United States occupied a special place among all countries, because that the U.S. had the first working representative democracy. The belief in American Exceptionalism is more common for conservatives than liberals. Howard Zinn and Godfrey Hodgson argues that it is based on myth and that "a growing number of refusals to accept the idea of exclusivity" at the national and international levels. In contrast, the Conservative leader Mike Huckabee says that "the rejection of American Exceptionalism means essentially the negation of the heart and soul of this nation" (Ignatieff, 2005).

The American Exceptionalism is a nationalist faith that the American people have a special place in the world community of nations, which is great because of our unique system of beliefs and principles, because of our historical evolution of our institutions and religious politics. There is only one problem with this concept, which is nothing more than a myth. We Americans, we have always deluded themselves thinking that they are an exceptional company on this planet. What extreme arrogance, selfishness, because we believe in the people and the nation's top, above everyone else in the world, and the best in everything. All this brings back to mind the old saying that if you say something often enough and loudly, at some point where you start to believe it yourself (Ignatieff, 2005).

Is it a noticeable presence in any of the recent US National Security Strategy documents?

The foreign policy of any country consists of three types of interests: security, economic and "other". Among the latter, human rights fit. For decades, America has been proactive in the promotion-sometimes-imposition of human rights and democracy in its foreign policy, so these elements have become accepted by it. Defined minimum in its meaning, that of civil and political liberties, human rights motivated the U.S. government and nongovernmental organizations funded by the same government programs promoting electoral and judicial reform and strengthening of civil society countries ...