929 research outputs found
Ethics in international relations : power and morality
No full textOver the eight years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the United States overthrew or attempted to overthrow several foreign governments. In Grenada, a combined force from the United States and seven Caribbean nations invaded to oust a newly-installed Marxist regime. In Nicaragua, the United States supported the anti-government Contra rebels in a years long, albeit indirect, effort to topple the Soviet and Cuban-backed Sandinistas. Faced with election fraud and human rights concerns in the Philippines, the U.S. applied political pressure to help oust strongman Ferdinand Marcos and hand the Presidential election to Corazon Aquino’s People Power Movement. As the Reagan administration draws to a close and the Presidency of George H.W. Bush begins, host Peter Krogh and his guests look back on the United States’ record during the Reagan years to discuss the morality of foreign interventions, and ask: when is overthrowing governments the right thing to do? Featuring Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, journalist Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Madeleine Albright, Georgetown University professor and future Secretary of State.Host Peter Krogh and guests look back on the Reagan presidency and its record of intervention overseas, and discuss the morality of overthrowing foreign governments
Should former United States officials represent foreign interests?
No full textWhen a company wants to bolster its image in Washington, it turns to lobbyists. Drawn from the ranks of former government officials and politicians, lobbyists capitalize on their access to policymakers to promote their clients’ interests. Increasingly, lobbyists in Washington have taken on the role of representing foreign interests. The practice of advocating on behalf of foreign governments and corporations translates into big business for lobbyists, yet it also raises significant questions about the harm done to American interests when top officials suddenly switch sides to become registered foreign agents. Faced with a growing number of lobbyists representing countries including Marxist Angola, China, and Japan, Senator David Boren proposed legislation that would prohibit former high government officials from advocating on behalf of foreign entities. Do these foreign agents pose a danger to American interests, or are there benefits that accrue to the U.S. through the lobbying process? In this episode, host Peter Krogh sits down with Senator Boren and Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan and a registered foreign agent, to discuss lobbyists and their impact on American foreign policy.Examines the role of lobbyists acting on behalf of foreign powers in the formulation of American foreign policy
Feeding the world
No full textMore than half of the world’s food comes directly from grain, and a significantly larger amount comes indirectly from grain through meat and dairy products. So when two years of severe draught caused the world’s grain reserves to drop dramatically in the late 1980s, policymakers began to worry. By 1989 the world supply of grain was down to just 54 days, meaning that one more bad harvest could have wiped out the reserve. At the same time, the amount of land available for farming was shrinking rapidly, and as the world’s population continued to expand, food consumption was beginning to exceed production. The question facing nations around the world was whether this was a temporary glitch in an otherwise stable system, or whether a new approach was needed in order to feed the world. In the United States, agricultural experts were divided into two contradictory camps over the cause of the crisis; while some claimed that the amount of arable land in the world was rapidly disappearing, others attributed the crisis to massive agricultural subsidies in developed nations, which in turn depressed prices worldwide and drove low-cost producers in third world countries out of the market. What is causing the global agricultural crisis, and how should the world feed itself? In this episode of Great Decisions, host Peter Krogh sits down to discuss these issues with Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, journalist Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Madeleine Albright, Georgetown University professor and future Secretary of State. Also featuring interviews with Lester Brown, President of the Worldwatch Institute, and Ewen Wilson, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Economics.Examines the debate over the world’s dwindling food supply
Arms agreement : too little too late, or too much too soon?
No full textIn 1989 the Cold War was entering its final years. As Mikhail Gorbachev continued his policies of liberalization and openness, and as tensions between the two superpowers began to wind down, many foreign policy observers in the United States asked themselves, is the Cold War finally over? For 40 years the cold war dominated the way Americans looked at the world, including its policies towards adversaries and allies, defense and arms control, trade and even domestic matters. If the Cold War is in fact over, how will the United States respond? Or if it has not yet ended, what can the United States do to administer the coup de grace and put an end to the dangerous ideological conflict that brought mankind to the brink of nuclear war on more than one occasion? In this episode future Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, discuss the de-escalation of the Cold War and what the end of the Cold War would mean for American foreign policy.Guests Madeleine Albright, Karen Elliott House and Richard Allen discuss the Cold War, is it finally over, and what does the end of the Cold War mean for American foreign policy
South Korea
No full textSouth Korea, America's military and economic ally, was for years ruled by a series of authoritarian military governments. Then in 1987, the government shocked the world by agreeing to free elections, and in 1988 former general Roh Tae-Woo became South Korea’s first popularly elected president. As the country began its transition to democracy, American policymakers struggled to create a more balanced economic relationship between the United States and South Korea. The Korean trade barriers that had helped to create a $10 billion trade surplus were beginning to draw criticism from policy makers in the U.S., however American pressure towards liberalization of the Korean market aroused the ire of the Korean government, and, coupled with a resurgence of Korean nationalism, contributed to growing anti-American sentiment in the country. This episode examines the United States’ efforts to create a more balanced economic relationship between the two nations without jeopardizing political or military interests in South Korea. Obstacles to the country’s emerging democracy are also discussed, including North Korean hostility and trade frictions between Korea and the United States. Featuring former National Security Advisor Richard Allen, Selig Harrison of the Carnegie Endowment, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Asia Director Mark Van Fleet and former Korean Economic Minister to the United States Yoonsae Yang.Examines how democracy can be promoted in South Korea and the dangers of destabilization
United States Japanese trade deficit
No full textGuided by the belief that international trade provides American consumers with more choices and keeps prices in check through healthy competition, the United States has traditionally stood for free trade among nations. Yet in the 1980s, America began to experience the darker side of international trade: a massive trade deficit, mostly with Japan. Out of every dollar that Americans spent on goods in 1985, roughly 20 cents went toward items purchased from overseas. As American imports grew, exports failed to keep pace, causing alarm among American economists and politicians. Policymakers were determined to cut the increasing trade deficit, and turned their attention towards the Japanese auto and electronics companies that formed the bulk of Japan’s export machine. As protectionist sentiment rose in Washington, some observers questioned the United States’ move away from the free trade environment it had worked so hard to create. In this episode, American Interests examines the growing trade deficit and America’s trade relations with its biggest competitor, Japan. Featuring Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, journalist Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Madeleine Albright, Georgetown University professor and future Secretary of State.Examines the growing trade deficit and America’s trade relations with its biggest competitor, Japan
Persian Gulf
No full textThe Persian Gulf has long been a strategic crossroads where the interests of the world’s great powers converge, and where minor conflicts frequently have global consequences. Since World War II American ships have been patrolling the Gulf to keep the sea-lanes open and the West’s vital supply of oil flowing. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, however, the American position in the Gulf hit a rough patch. Just months after the pro-American Shah was overthrown in Iran, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in what the U.S. saw as a flanking maneuver designed to gain access the strategic waters of the Gulf. Concerned by the turn of events, President Carter responded with a grave warning that became known as the Carter Doctrine—that an “attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.” Just as menacing to American interests in the region were Iran’s attempts to export Islamic fundamentalism, which threatened to destabilize other nations in the Gulf. In response, the U.S. began supporting Iraq in its bloody war of attrition against Iran -- not to ensure an Iraqi victory, but to prevent an Iranian one. By 1989 the flow of oil in the region had been secured, Iran and Iraq had bled each other to an impasse, and the Soviets had withdrawn from Afghanistan. Yet obstacles remained in U.S.-Iran relations, including a number of Americans being held hostage by the pro-Iranian terrorist group Hezbollah. As George H.W. Bush begins his Presidency, host Peter Krogh sits down to discuss American policy in the Gulf with Richard Allen, former National Security Advisor to President Reagan, journalist Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal, and Madeleine Albright, Georgetown University professor and future Secretary of State. Together they examine American interests in the region and discuss guidelines for new administration’s foreign policy toward the Persian Gulf.Examines America’s interests in the Persian Gulf and guidelines for U.S. policy in the region
Environment
No full textAs worldwide environmental degradation made the consequences of economic development increasingly clear, renewed international cooperation resulted in multiple treaties and conferences addressing the issue of the environment. Yet despite these preventative measures, ecosystems around the globe continued to be devastated by acid rain, desertification, and a widening gap in the ozone layer, causing many countries to take a hard look at the tradeoff between the destruction of the environment and economic development. While many industrialized nations held the view that in the long run, sustaining the environment and expanding economies were two sides of the same coin, most third world countries dismissed this notion as a luxury of rich countries, arguing that they need to worry about feeding their citizens first and breathing clean air second. As a result, many third world countries refused to cooperate with environmental protection efforts, which they viewed as hypocritical attempts by industrialized nations to limit their prospects for growth. This episode examines the role of both industrialized nations and developing third world countries in protecting the environment, and asks, “Does the destruction of the environment have to be a product of economic development?” Featuring former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Donald McHenry, Former National Security Advisor Richard Allen, and Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal.Examines the discrepancy between environmental protection policies in the developing world and industrialized nations
Japan
No full textJapan's rise to economic prominence led to growing tensions between the United States and their Asian ally, with many in the U.S. believing that Japan's success had come at the expense of the U.S. As Japanese competition increased, Japan bashing became a popular pastime in the U.S., resulting in massive "buy American" campaigns from manufacturers, particularly in the car industry. Aware of the resentment their success had generated, the Japanese launched their own promotional campaigns, further exacerbating the situation. Yet as rhetoric continued to grow more heated on both sides of the pacific, what began as an economic dispute threatened to sour diplomatic and military relations between the two countries. This episode examines the roots of the trade dispute between the United States and Japan – are they cultural, political, or purely economic? Featuring former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Donald McHenry, Former National Security Advisor Richard Allen, and Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal.Examines the growing economic tensions between the United States and Japan
The new Europe
No full textBy 1991 the Cold War was in its final throes. Across Europe, socialist governments were in retreat, and in Germany the process of reunification was well underway. However, the sudden collapse of communism in Eastern Europe posed significant new challenges to both Europe and the United States. Economic upheaval in the Warsaw Pact states, ethnic and nationalist uprisings, and the possibility of a refugee crisis created an unstable political environment that proved no less problematic to the U.S. and its NATO allies than the old days of the Cold War. In this new Europe, will the United States be able to maintain its influence over former allies, and will the forces for integration win out over the forces for separation and conflict that for years plagued the region? In this episode, former National Security Advisor Richard Allen, Foreign Policy magazine editor William Maynes, and Karen Elliott House of the Wall Street Journal examine the obstacles that stand in the way of a safe, stable Europe and the future of American interests in the region.Examines the challenges facing Eastern Europe in the final days of the Cold War
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