U.S. Involvement in Global Affairs

 

After the Second World War, the U.S. had a huge manufacturing capacity to produce food supplies and create a strong military. As a result, the country globalized its national interests, as it fashioned using hegemonic leadership to establish what came to be known as the new world order.

 

Therefore, the first role of the U.S. in the world has been providing leadership and direction, making it the most important or first country for framing or identifying foreign issues and carrying out actions to address them.

 

In the process, the country has been setting an exemplary leadership that the rest of the nations are supposed to follow. The U.S. has also been involved in setting international rules that other nations have to abide by. However, the main question has been the significance of the active involvement of the U.S. in global affairs. Thus, the paper will discuss if the world is worse or better when the U.S. is active in global affairs.

 

In the recent past, U.S. active involvement in global issues has been viewed as a threat, therefore, considered that it makes the world worse. A research report by Gramlich & Devlin (2019) shows that a growing number of citizens across the world see the influence and power of the U.S. as a significant threat to their nations. Such views were connected to the attitudes of the people towards former President Donald Trump, when he was in power, and America as a whole.

 

Similarly, Gramlich and Delvin report that the same views were also expressed when Barack Obama was in power. This indicates that some people do not support the active part the U.S. takes in different countries.

 

However, other authors report on the massive role the U.S. has played in global affairs. For example, the deployment of the U.S. military has brought peace in countries like Iraq when they killed al-Qaeda leaders. As a consequence, such countries prospered when the U.S. military controlled the activities of the terrorists.

 

The U.S. economic power has also helped make the world better. For example, it has fueled industry and trade across the world. The country’s cultural and political power also helped to make the world better. For instance, the spread of democracy and the fact that many countries reflect the interests of America when establishing power.

 

Afghanistan was a terrorist base before the U.S. unleashed a military for counterterrorism activities. Since taking over, the U.S. was able to establish an accountable administration in the country. Consistent with U.S. values, the country promoted democracy, women’s rights, and the rule of law, among other interests that helped stabilize the country.

 

The U.S. was also involved in many other countries in the early fifties and sixties. In its engagement, the country promoted peace and a stable, prosperous world. In Europe, the United States fought against communism; a policy referred to as containment by George Kennan. America swore to pay any price, bear burdens, meet hardships, and support allies against foes who curtailed peoples’ liberty.

 

Thus, America promoted the stability of the world, which made the globe better. In the US-led intervention leading to the killing of Saddam Hussain, the mission was to disarm Iraq to pursue stability, security, and peace in the Gulf region as well as other parts of the world. Therefore, U.S. involvement is key to better international relations and not worse, as some critics claimed.