Ben Rajadurai
American Foreign Policy
Professor Kirk
Feb 21 2017
American Exceptionalism
There is no question Barack Obama thought America was great. No man would willingly dedicate an entire life to public service if they didn’t believe that there was something worth defending. However, the question still remains, did Barack Obama believe that America was exceptional? Did he believe that there was something different that set the United States apart as the “shining city upon a hill? The simple answer to that is no, Barack Obama did not believe in American Exceptionalism.
In contrast to presidents who undeniably believed in American Exceptionalism like Reagan and both the Bushes. Reagan spoke of the United States as “A tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity.” Aside from the flowery rhetoric and at times to its own detriment, the Reagan administration fought communism aggressively because of it’s believe in its own values and that there was something different and better about American values.
In contrast, President Obama took a much more realist perspective to foreign policy. It wasn’t about exporting our values across the globe but rather about preserving American success while relatively ignoring countries like Russia and their rapid expansion and growth in power both in Ukraine as well as their backing of Assad in Syria. A president motivated by a belief in American Exceptionalism would likely have intervened in Syria and Libya and would’ve taken a much firmer stance against Russian interference across the world.
Ben, I thought your response was very well-stated, and I couldn't agree more. I also would add to your argument how President Obama decided to take a backseat in the decision making process over how the United Nations was going to deal with the crisis in Libya.
ReplyDeleteBen, I thought this was a nice response to the question, but I am not sure that I agree. A president can still believe in American Exceptionalism without making it their only view, and without forcing it on other countries.
ReplyDeleteBen, would you say it is possible for someone to believe in American exceptionalism and yet still support a realist or isolationist foreign policy?
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