American Exceptionalism

Foreign policy is the way the nation deals with other groups, nations, organizations and political parties. There is a deliberate obliviousness present amongst American citizens regarding international relations and foreign policy that only breaks when something shakes us. Many Americans pay attention to foreign policy only when it directly concerns our personal affairs, an issue we passionately care for, or our perceptions of world danger and peace. Even then, we tend to polarize the issue and only view it from our perspective; it quickly becomes an issue of ‘us versus them’ and there is little attention paid to the actual facts. America’s military might is glorified and foreigners are degraded and painted as barbaric or uncivilized. That …show more content…
Exceptionalism gives way to an entitled sense of hubris and "right to success". Even following policy failures, this culture fosters a sort of a privileged characteristic. In believing that democracy is the best and most correct form of governing, we propagate justification for our actions such as wars to expand and correct. What we fail to realize is that we do not know enough about other cultures to accurately judge whether or not democracy will establish political and social equality as popular sovereignty implies. We further fail to realize that “stability is not a static phenomenon” (Erlanger) and that it is not our mission to fix the world, nor are we in a truly privileged position to do so. If we humbled ourselves, for example, then perhaps peace would be a larger accomplishment—a better image in the world’s eye would be a greater achievement. Our foreign policy agenda currently exacerbates many of our international relationships. We should focus our attentions in foreign policy elsewhere, beyond militant action and warring to keep power and world reign. To do so would require the awareness of the public—beyond the military’s prowess as mentioned in newspapers and …show more content…
This does not mean we understand what we read or hear. There is definitely a connection between what Americans see as being important and how media covers it; however, this does not enlighten a citizen with a deeper foray into foreign policy. Parties with power can influence the media to be used as tools to alter the public’s perception. A rational decision does not necessarily mean that the decision is well-researched; it only means that it appeals to whatever beliefs or biases the voter may already hold based on the headlines they encounter. Thus, we support what is in line with our beliefs, and condemn anything outside of that. This is how we often deal with foreign policy when confronted with it: we formulate attitudes based on headlines and the promises of our representatives and leaders, and push for what we believe in based on that. We are not very much aware. If our leaders appear to have a handle on matters, we leave it to them to figure it all out, missing the bigger picture of just how interconnected the world really