American Foreign Policy: The Never-ending Nightmare
Kenan Kapetanovic, External Affairs
November 28, 2020
This article’s content is based on Right of Reply’s episode titled ‘The United States and Iran Conflict: Recap, Analysis and Predictions (With Guest: Professor Wayne Cox)‘. Please direct any inquiries regarding this podcast to Right of Reply’s current directors: Itamar Kofman, Coleman Campbell, and Natalie Woodland.
U.S. foreign policy has the potential to affect millions of people around the world. From the invasion of Kuwait to the signing of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the U.S. has immersed itself within the international community. Recently, the Trump administration promised to bring back troops from overseas and get the U.S. out of what he believes are “bad deals”, such as NAFTA and the Iran Nuclear Deal. The Observer’s External Affairs branch, based on the work of Right of Reply’s podcast on Professor Wayne Cox’s insights into U.S. and Iranian relations, takes a hard look at the past, present, and future of the implications of U.S. foreign policy.
Professor Cox discussed the standoff between the U.S. and Iran following the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Solemani. He briefly went through the modern history of the relationship between the two nations, beginning with the Iranian Revolution in 1979. During the Carter and Reagan administrations, the U.S. had imposed hefty sanctions on Iran over concerns surrounding their nuclear program, an event that became the root of the conflict between these two nations today.
Professor Cox then touched on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed during the Obama administration. He stressed how monumental it was for sustaining Iranian - American relations and for preserving the safety of countries bordering Iran. According to the Obama White House Archives, the deal allowed Iran to only keep 3.67% of enriched uranium at a time, cut the number of centrifuges Iran had by around 70%, and be inspected by US agents to verify that Iran was complying with the agreement. The administration used the idea of lifting heavy international sanctions on Iran as a “carrot” to convince them to sign on to the deal. At the time, this was considered a successful accord between all of the countries that signed on to the agreement, but the Trump administration viewed the deal differently.
In 2018, President Trump pulled the U.S. out, citing a lack of oversight and assurance that Iran was complying with the requirements of the deal. This decision was also along the lines of his ‘America First’ policy that won over many voters in poorer and swing states during the 2016 presidential election. Professor Cox presented the argument that the Trump administration withdrew from the deal to ease tension in Israel, as a nuclear deal made Israeli officials extremely nervous. While President Trump was slammed for his decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, he was able to make progress with North Korea, another country that was attempting to establish its nuclear arsenal. With his presidency coming to an end, one might characterize President Trump’s time in office as unpredictable and divisive. In terms of foreign policy, I would argue that nothing has fundamentally changed for the better; however, is there an opportunity for a new president to turn the situation around?
At the time this article is being written, Joseph Biden is set to become the next president of the United States, narrowly edging out the incumbent Donald Trump. Many are relieved by these election results and believe that the country will begin to move in the right direction. Personally, I am cautious to be so enthusiastic about Biden’s plans for the country, and specifically, foreign policy. Joe Biden was formerly the Vice President of the administration that increased the Department of Defense War-Related funding by 50 million, thereby increasing the number of drone strikes and combat groups in the region. According to data gathered by the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, the Obama administration was responsible for 372 stone strikes against suspected terrorists, while the Bush administration was responsible for 51. Will a Biden presidency be different than what has unfolded over the past twelve years? It is not entirely clear, but the warning signs are present.
Americans tend to over-focus on domestic policy while foreign policy may have just as big of an impact on their lives. The U.S. is undergoing an incredibly divisive and raw moment in the country’s history, so a hard look in the mirror might be exactly what the country needs. What is for certain is that the U.S. is one of the world’s strongest powers with infinite resources at their disposal, so it should be the ‘role model’ for smaller and developing countries. Unfortunately, this is not the case right now, as America regularly puts profits and self-interest first. I have family friends who have been personally affected by foreign policy decisions that have gone bad, such as Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, which lost and ruined countless lives around the world.
So, what can be done to change this paradigm? If you are like me and live in the United States, call your local congressperson and/or senator and voice your concerns about these foreign policy disasters. This month, President Trump has flirted with the idea of cutting the number of troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, which seems like a positive move. Unfortunately, he is being blocked by a select few members of congress for illegitimate reasons. Some might argue that it is wrong for President Trump to pull troops out of these regions because it was the actions of the U.S. that caused this instability to begin with. In response to that, I would say that the U.S. cannot be in these countries forever. Yes, they have a responsibility to amend the disaster that they created, but it should try to slowly extract troops out of the regions.
If you are in Canada, by all means, voice your concern too. As Professor Cox pointed out, many Canadian lives were lost on the flight that was mistakenly shot down by Iran during its standoff with the United States earlier this year. This form of hawkish foreign policy cannot be allowed to continue, no matter who the president is or what party they are from. At some point, a line must be drawn.