Assignment 2.2: Policeman of the World Final Pape
HIS105 – Contemporary U.S. History
3/15/14

Since gaining independence from the British in 1776, the United States foreign policy over the years has gone from expansionist to isolationism to defending democracy. With the responsibility of defending democratic rights for those who cannot defend themselves, the United States in my opinion has taken on the role of “policeman of the world.” This role became more evident with the use of U.S. military force in international incidents like U.S. intervention in the 2011 Libyan Civil War to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and U.S. involvement in the 2011 Yemeni Civil War protesting the leadership of Yemeni
Stopping North Vietnam from spreading its communist regime to South Vietnam was seen as necessary particularly during the Cold War battle with the Soviet Union. During the Somali Civil War the suffering of the people was broadcast worldwide and there was public outcry for aid to the country. In Somalia, the United States mission was first and foremost to support the United Nations relief effort to provide aid to millions of starving Somali people. The United States entered Iraq to remove Weapons of Mass Destruction which were believed to have been developed under Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein who all but proclaimed he possessed these weapons. These weapons posed a threat to the United States and its allies and after 9/11 the United States had implemented a policy of protecting itself from any current or perceivable future threats.
In the two hundred plus years since establishing its independence, the United States has adopted various attitudes towards foreign policy. Immediately after obtaining independence from Great Britain, this fairly new nation focused on issues on the home front. After the devastation of the Civil War, the country welcomed the Industrial Revolution with open arms. The advances in technology and transportation during the Industrial Revolution led to great improvements in American society and established the United States as a world power.