How might the following events be perceived as acts of aggression? as self-defense?
- The Truman Doctrine
- The Marshall Plan
- The Soviet takeover in Poland
- The unification of West Germany
- The expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe
- The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
- An hypothetical intervention in Syria?
- What is autarky?
- Why did the typically isolationist US agree to provide the UK with Lend-Lease aid?
- Why was the US so concerned with constructing a new world economic order?
- Why would the US and UK want (West) Germany to regain its former strength?
- Why was the US preoccupied with an integrated European economy?
- Besides the potential threat from Moscow, what foreign threats motivated the US to construct the postwar security and economic orders?
- Layne posits that the US would have pursued this policy even if the Soviet Union “didn’t exist.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
(more recent classes after the jump)
September 12
- What does Trubowitz mean by "winning coalition?"
- How does Trubowitz's theory compare and contrast to other theories of foreign policy behavior we have learned about so far?
- What level of analysis does the theory operate on?
- How can we tell if an industry or sector favors exports or domestic markets?
- Why do some favor one or the other?
- Why do sectional differences have such a major effect on American policymaking?
- Which region was the most internationalist in the 1930s?
- If the Northeast included a majority of the population, why couldn’t they determine US policy alone?
- Who stood in there way? With whom did they align to impose their preferences?
- Tariffs are taxes on US imports, not US exports. So why did exporters care about whether or not the US had high tariffs?
September 14
- Do you find this argument convincing? Why or why not?
- Do you think it does a better job of explaining foreign policy than the other theories we have encountered so far? Why or why not?
- Could you apply this sectionalism theory to other cases? What difficulties might you encounter?
- Do you find any shortcomings in this theory?
Trubowitz examines not only outside factors that would influence trade policies but also internal ones as well. Regional differences cause different views on international trade. For example, regions that export a considerate amount of goods will want to have an open or free trade market. Regions that have a larger home market base will want a more active and involved government. Exporters care about US tariffs because they want their goods to be circulated and also dollars to be circulated so that other countries will buy from them. Trubowitz also establishes that there is no such thing as a national interest, it depends on three different regions who do and want very different things.
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