Policemen of the World

Significance of U.S Military Intervention in Foreign Affairs
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Abstract
Repeatedly, the United States has been termed as “the global police”. Several questions arise from this epithet. Is this terminology correct? Why does the US feel compelled to exercise military interventions around the globe? Does the US have any responsibility or justification to use military force to accomplish any specific objective? It is imperative to note that since its inception, the US has been involved in most military conflicts often shaping influencing global politics. These wars range from those in the Korean Peninsula to Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, and in all these conflicts, America has played both direct and indirect roles in blood shed. This aspect of American foreign policy has come under sharp criticism from both its citizens and those from other countries. The majority of those that criticize these military interventions argue that the American government failed to intervene in conflicts where its help would have been beneficial, for example the Bosnian Genocide. As such, the paper provides a thesis outline on the history of foreign US military involvement and its repercussions in terms of its foreign affairs activities.
Keywords: military action, foreign policy, global police
Significance of U.S Military Intervention in Foreign Affairs
Part 1: Thesis Statement
According to the Economist (2016), the United States has nearly 800 military bases overseas in over 70 countries, a number higher than any other country.

The U.S military action on foreign soil has earned it its title as the “global police”, a status that has received both domestic and international support and opposition. This paper will analyze the history U.S military involvement in foreign countries and its significance in recent events that have affected United States’ further involvement in foreign affairs.
Part 2: Outline of the Key Points
International Events of the U.S Military Involvement following post-Civil War Foreign Policies
After World War II, a heavy international military that comprised largely of U.S forces and the allied occupied Japan. Although the occupation officially ended in 1952 following the signing of a peace treaty, the U.S military occupation in Japan persisted officially ended in 1972 CITATION Ban12 l 1033 (Bandow, 2012). In July of 2016, The U.S government through the U.S army announced plans to vacate 15 square miles of land in Okinawa following large protests over the rape and murder of an Okinawa resident CITATION The16 l 1033 (The Economist, 2016).
The U.S involvement in the Syrian crisis follows the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) agreement of 1949 to restore and maintain peace in Europe and provide military assistance to its member states in the event of an attack CITATION Rot15 l 1033 (Rothman, 2015). The Syrian Civil War saw the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a militant group of extremist fighters responsible and claiming responsibility for brutal public executions in Iraq, Libya and Syria, and recruitment of extremists using of social media.
Aspects of the U.S that have led to the Rise of American Military Superpower
After the Civil War, industrialization efforts in the U.S increased which saw a boom in its economy. During the 1890’s, the U.S military size paled and lacked international presence in comparison to countries like France or Germany. The scramble for colonial territories in the late 19th century piqued the interest of the U.S in foreign affairs.
The United States also wanted to expand their economy through foreign trade, which led to the Monroe Doctrine that saw the U.S military involvement in the western hemisphere. The Spanish-American war increased the U.S expansion ambitions as it now controlled interests in the Far East, Caribbean Islands, and Central America.
Factors that fueled International Policy Decision
The U.S government has maintained a military presence on the island of Okinawa seven decades after the devastation of Japan by U.S atomic airstrike, a move that ended World War II.
In the 19th century, the U.S government was involved in both covert and overt operation in foreign soil that led to regime changes and acquisitions of territories in the better part of Latin America, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
For much of the 20th century, U.S allies welcomed U.S military occupation on foreign soil as they had suffered devastating economic and military losses following World War II. By the mid-20th century, the Cold War had defined two major world powers in military and intelligence: the United States and the Soviet Union CITATION Pen17 l 1033 (Pena, 2017). The U.S justified overseas military facilities during the Cold War as a bulwark against the Soviet expansion and communism. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S still maintained many of its military bases abroad for various reasons such as the wars in the Middle East and the Chinese naval expansion.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Bandow, D. (2012, January 23). Give Okinawa Back To The Okinawans. Retrieved from Forbes: www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2012/01/23/give-okinawa-back-to-the-okinawans/#784ad0c85ce1
Pena, C. A. (2017, February 6). Should America Be the World’s Policeman? Retrieved from The American Conservative: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/should-america-be-the-worlds-policeman/
Rothman, L. (2015, October 07). Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Retrieved from Time: time.com/4062999/historic-newspapers/
The Economist. (2016, August 11). Go home, Yankee. Retrieved from The Economist: www.economist.com/news/united-states/21704817-presence-american-troops-foreign-soil-growing-more-controversial-go-home