Comparing the Foreign Policies of Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama

In this activity, you are the all-knowing foreign policy expert evaluating the last 20 years of American foreign policy—tell Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski to move over. You are a senior statesman or stateswoman determining what went right and what went wrong with American foreign policy objectives and implementation.
Pick at least 3 issues of American foreign policy and compare and contrast how effective Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have been in articulating and implementing American foreign policy objectives in the last 20 years.
The goal of this discussion is to debate respectfully among members of the class about the accomplishments and failures of American foreign policy during the last 20 years—for example, the decision not to intervene in Rwanda, the decision to intervene in Iraq, and the efforts under 3 presidents to achieve peace in the Middle East.

New World Order

As you complete the readings for the course, you should think about the major problems in American foreign policy since 1992 and the limitations on the ability of the United States to achieve its foreign policy goals. Think about the importance of presidential leadership—when a president refuses to use the power of the United States, for example, President Clinton in Rwanda, or when a president decides to maximize the use of American power as President Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan. You should also think about the relationship between the president’s war powers and his use of them to achieve American foreign policy goals.
Think about the use of power to achieve goals and self-limiting the use of power. What do you see as similarities and differences between the use of power under President Bush in the Gulf War and his son in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Consider why the United States waited so long—from 1992 to 1995—before intervening in the crisis in Bosnia and why we refused to intervene in Rwanda. You should consider whether power politics, strategic concerns, domestic politics, or economic self-interest limited American actions for human rights in Bosnia and Rwanda and, in contrast, why we chose to intervene in Kosovo. Again, consider the limitations on American intervention in Kosovo under President Clinton in 1999 and what factors limited American military intervention in Libya under President Obama. Also, reflect on the use of unilateral force by presidents without Congressional authorization under the last 3 presidents.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s ended the Cold War but left open an uneasy relationship that swings back and forth between cooperation and rivalry, as evidenced by Russian support for the American role in Afghanistan but Soviet lack of cooperation in Syria today. Think about the changes in America’s relationship with China, which also appears to go back and forth between cooperation and rivalry—for example, cooperation on issues of Islamic terrorism, Indian Ocean pirates, and non-nuclear North Korea and conflict over competing interests in Syria and East China Sea. To what degree have strategic interests in seeking Chinese cooperation been consistently more important than human rights issues in our relationship with China?
Since the 1970s, American presidents have tried to mediate the Arab-Israeli conflict. Consider the successes and failures of American presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama to achieve a lasting settlement in the Middle East. Backdoor deals under President Reagan in the Iran-Contra episode failed to achieve an opening with Iran; confrontations under President Bush and an outstretched hand offering negotiations under President Obama have all failed to achieve American foreign policy objectives.
Consider the War on Terrorism since 9/11/2001 and successes and failures to limit the spread of terrorism in the Middle East. To what degree did the recent Arab Spring aid or hinder United States efforts to curtail Islamic extremist groups like al Qaeda and the Taliban?
Also, consider the irony that, with the end of the Cold War, the United States has reconciled with Vietnam and, under President Clinton, opened diplomatic relations leading to extensive economic relations today while quietly backing the Vietnamese in their conflicts with the Chinese in the East Sea. At the same time, efforts at reconciliation with Cuba under President Obama have failed to produce any concrete results. Why was the United States able to reach an accommodation with the Vietnamese after fighting a long war but not with the Cuban Communists, a mere 90 miles away from United States shores?
Now, please move on to the first discussion on goals of American foreign policy.