US IDEOLOGY and FOREIGN POLICY

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US IDEOLOGY and FOREIGN POLICY
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IDEOLOGY is

• - Is an interrelated set of assumptions that
  reduces the complexities of a particular slice of
  reality to easily comprehensible terms and
  suggests appropriate ways of dealing with
  reality. - Michael Hunt
• - derived from socially established structures
  of meaning found in culture. - Clifford Geertz

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US IDEOLOGY

• National Greatness and Exceptionalism
• 2) Racial Hierarchy

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National Greatness and Exceptionalism

• City on a Hill
• mission to promote liberty and democracy, based
  on private property

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Racial Hierarchy
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US National Symbols
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US and Philippines
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US and Vietnam
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• Johnson 1965, We must say in Southeast Asia, as
  we did in Europe, in the words of the Bible
  Hitherto shall thou come, but no further.
• Johnson 1968, And I think every American can
  take a great deal of pride in the role that we
  have played in bringing this about in Southeast
  Asia. We can rightly judge--as responsible
  Southeast Asians themselves do--that the progress
  of the past three years would have been far less
  likely, if not completely impossible, if
  America's sons and others had not made their
  stand in Vietnam.

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• Nixon, 1969, For the United States, this first
  defeat in our nation's history would result in a
  collapse of confidence in American leadership,
  not only in Asia but throughout the world. Our
  defeat and humiliation in South Vietnam without
  question would promote recklessness in the
  councils of those great powers who have not yet
  abandoned their goals of world conquest.Ultimatel
  y, this would cost more lives. It would not bring
  peace it would bring more war.