Abstract
This paper dwells upon reasons and outcomes of empowerment of the USA and its transformation into the policeman of the world. The empowerment was the result of the country’s economic growth, expansionism and international policies. Due to its empowerment, the US involvement in various conflicts led to restoration of peace in many regions.
Introduction
The United States of America is one of the most powerful countries in the world and it has played the role of the world policeman for decades. Notably, the country has undergone a remarkable transformation from a colony of the British Empire to one of the leaders in the global arena (Schultz, 2014). A number of aspects of the US history account for this transformation. The country is now able to affect the international affairs and contribute to maintenance or restoration of the peace in various regions of the world.
Thus, the country’s involvement in Iraqi conflict and provision of assistance to Turkey in its attempts to safeguards its borders from possible invasion of Syrian extremists are illustrations of the US effective policing that has become a result of financial might of the country and its political influence.
Illustrations of Policing
One of the most suggestive policing strategies implemented in the past five years is the US involvement in the Iraqi conflict. The ISIS has been gaining power and has caused a lot of destruction as well as casualties in Iraq. The USA was committed to restore peace in the region and it decided to provide military as well as humanitarian aid to Iraqi people (Daragahi, 2014). Admittedly, this assistance was crucial for Iraq, as the country could not affectively respond to the hazards associated with attacks of the ISIS, which had to become less active in the region.
Another example of efficient help of the United States is the country’s decision to help Turkey to protect its borders. In 2012, Syrian extremists who had caused significant turmoil in Syria threatened Turkey as well. The latter has quite limited resources to deter such a serious military force and, hence, the United States ensured safety of the Turkish border in the sector (“US troops mass on Turkey’s Syrian border,” 2012). The US involvement played a crucial role, as the Turkish border remained intact, since Syrian extremists did not have enough resources to confront the US military units.
Becoming a World Policeman
The examples of the US involvement provided above are results of empowerment of the USA that took place after the Civil War. It is possible to identify a number of aspects of the US history that caused this empowerment.
One of the major factors that have made the United States of America one of the leading world powers is its financial growth that started in the second half of the 19th century (Schultz, 2014). Effective domestic policies and economic development that included expansion to the west, the use of new and revolutionary economic models, development of industries (especially, steel industry) and infrastructure (especially, railroads) as well as significant immigration (and availability of cheap labor force) made the country one of the richest states in the world.
Clearly, financial resources often translated into international ties and treaties that were favorable for further empowerment of the country. With the help of the US diplomatic as well as military effort, the country managed to use quite cheap resources of countries of Central and South America (Herring, 2008). The USA often used political and social unrest in the countries as a way to affect the countries’ domestic policies that were favorable for the US.
Finally, this financial empowerment and involvement in various conflicts (including the two World Wars) led to development of a certain reputation. Thus, the USA has become a country that can influence decisions made in different regions of the globe. The country has the necessary resources to assist (and/or force) other countries to implement particular policies.
International Incidents
It is possible to provide some illustrations of the impact the USA had in the 20th century. For instance, the Korean War (1950-1953) could result in empowerment of communism in the region and massive persecution of various groups (Herring, 2008). However, military and humanitarian assistance of the USA enabled South Korea to maintain its political and economic independence.
The conflict between Iraq and Kuwait in 1990-1991 could also result in a lasting war in the region. Invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi troops violated various international conventions (Dogan, 2012). The US involvement enabled Kuwait to retain its independence and sovereignty.
Another conflict took place in Europe when the Bosnian War broke out. It lasted three years (1992-1995) and was mainly a result of ethnic tension as well as social and political unrest (Dogan, 2012). The US involvement (both humanitarian and military) and assistance of certain international organizations led to restoration of peace in the region.
Driving Forces of Political Decisions
As seen from the conflicts mentioned above, it is clear that there are particular forces that lead to certain political decisions. One of these driving forces is the war as military conflicts are seen as the threat to the established world order and countries try to find ways to resolve existing issues.
Another driving force is making various treaties. Interestingly, in many cases treaties lead to termination of military (or other) conflicts but sometimes they can become the reason for war (for example, Graz agreement resulted in the war between Croatia and Bosnia).
Besides, elections can also lead to implementation of particular political decisions. For instance, the three wars mentioned above could be seen as the outcome of elections that were held in the countries. Clearly, these three driving forces determine political decisions made in the world.
Reference List
Daragahi, B. (2014). Iraq gives cautious welcome to US military intervention. Financial Times. Web.
Dogan, N. (2012). Pragmatic liberal approach to world order: The scholarship of Inis L. Claude, Jr. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. Web.
Herring, G.C. (2008). From colony to superpower: US foreign relations since 1776. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Web.
Schultz, K.M. (2014). HIST: US history since 1865. Chicago, IL: Cengage Learning. Web.
US troops mass on Turkey’s Syrian border. (2012). Military.com. Web.