I personally believe that the entire principle behind the League Of Nations disavows all of the basic principles that the Washington stated in his farewell speech. Even though Washington stated, Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all, he was not a believer in the entangling alliances that the League Of Nations would have placed the United States in. He said in this farewell address, The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations to have with time as little political connection as possible. The United States would have become a quintessential player in all of Europe s affairs. George Washington did not want to see this happen to the U.S., Europe has a set of primary interest which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns…. it must be unwise ion us to implicate ourselves… in… her politics or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships and enmities.
With specific regard to Article 10 of the League Of Nations charter, the United States would have been placed directly into the position of the protector of independence for all established countries, which is obviously quite a daunting task and would be resource draining for any nation. This alone completely differs from the theme of Washington s message.
Even though Washington could not have speculated as to the circumstances of the time; the U.S. being a world power, and the bridging of the Atlantic due to inventions in technology in the 19th century, the same ideals that he believed in 1796 were still preferred, despite Wilson s belief that it would be impossible for the U.S. to stay out of Europe s affairs.
Part III
In my opinion, I believe that the U.S. should follow every word, theme, and ideal that the Washington speech stated. It my belief that other counties should be allowed to carry out its own free will and decisions without U.S. interference. If it is a better economy for our country that is so desired, then allowing other countries to develop their own route to prosperity will create a better environment for trade as the country becomes increasingly economically advantageous.
Policies Under The Clinton Administration
1)China – Since becoming President in 1993, Clinton has found it preferable to engage the Chinese in dialogue on such issues as nuclear proliferation, human rights, peace on the Korean peninsula, and the flow of missiles and weapons to the Middle East, where they might threaten the world s oil supply. In other words, he prefers to work with the Chinese toward a more positive future rather than dwelling on the difficulties of the past. While I greatly support all of the ideals that Clinton has strived for above, I do not believe that any country should have the authority to dictate to any other country what it should do in terms of policies. Instead, I believe that the all of these issues should be the United Nations responsibility. No nations should be the police of the world, as one nation can not have the interests of the others in mind at all times. Only an independent organization (i.e., the United Nations) should have this authority.
2)Cuba – Clinton s Secretary Of State Madeline Albright has stated that (U.S. Actions) should help all Cubans to understand that the United States is on their side in the search for economic choice and prosperity in the quest for freedom of religion, expression, and thought. The United States currently has a trading embargo locked on Cuba where it is forbidden to conduct any form of commerce between the two countries. With our country being the leading economic power and agricultural producer in the world, preventing mercantile relations with Cuba has crippled its economy. While there is growing support for absolving the treaty such as the support of Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, It s a lost opportunity for America , the Clinton administration has refused to lift the embargo. Because of Cuba s Communist government and dictatorial leadership (Castro), the U.S. has placed this embargo on Cuba to prevent it from advancing to a position of power that could be a threat to national security. In my opinion, I believe that the Cuban Embargo is only hurting the people of Cuba, preventing them from having a better economy, cheaper food, and therefore a better life. Personally, I think other countries such as Iraq and North Korea pose a more severe threat to national security then Cuba.
3) Kosovo – The United States acted as the world police in 1999 and organized a massive strike against the armies of Yugoslav President Milosovich which were believed to be carrying out genocide against the Albanian people s of the country. With his country crippled from the attacks on his country, Milosovich vowed to stop all genocide in his country and guarantee safety for all remaining Albanians in the country. Under Clinton s urging, the U.S. also sent 4,000 troops to be part of NATO s peacekeeping force in that region to ensure that Milosovich carried out his pledges.
Although I am a full supporter of Clinton s/NATO s actions in that region, I do not think that even though we are the world s superpower that we should be the world s police. Again, I believe that this entire operation should have taken place, just under the authority of the United Nations, and not the United States.
For the actions of the United States in regard to its foreign policy during the time periods discussed in this paper, I believe that the U.S. has completely ignored the foundations of Washington s farewell address. From the seize-for-prosperity actions of the U.S. in the Spanish American war, to its actions in the Boxer Rebellion, and finally its goals in the League Of Nations, we have grown into a nation dependent on other nations for our own prosperity, and as such it has been common policy for the United States to take whatever means necessary to keep ourselves in a position of maximum influence and success.
While Washington s ideas emphasized staying out of other country s affairs and preventing entangling alliances, almost all U.S. foreign policy decisions have uprooted the foundations of his final speech. The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave…Antipathy in one nation against another disposes much more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute. In the time periods specified, the United States has time and time again acted as the world s police force and done whatever it needed to so that our pecuniary betterment would be advanced or kept stable. Even though our causes may be ethically venerated, Washington never wanted the United States of America to become a protectorate of all the world s nations.