Effects Of Power Fettweis On American Foreign Policy

There have been numerous books written in the past by various political scientists on how to improve U.S. foreign policy. However, Fettweis’s Pathologies of Power provides a very interesting and somewhat unusual dig at U.S. foreign policy. In his book Pathologies of Power Fettweis is highly critical of the below average foreign policy performance of the United States over the last few decades and he strives to shed some light on why the U.S. keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again. In his view, the many blunders in American foreign policy can be attributed to the nation’s deep connection to a series of closely held pathological beliefs that he collectively describes as fear, honor, glory, and hubris. Professor Fettweis in his book also discusses the origins of these deep pathological beliefs. He strongly argues that some of the major foreign policy disasters like the Iraq War, the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War was a result of these strongly held patholog ical beliefs. He also recommends that American foreign policy performance can be improved significantly if these strongly held pathological beliefs are identified and eradicated and replaced with prudence and restraint. The first among the pathological beliefs is fear which Fettweis strongly believes is a sort of paranoia where one believes that the world is full of enemies and makes decisions based on these deeply held beliefs which is often misguided. He then provides example of how America’s paranoia aboutShow MoreRelatedChina’s Rise and Policy Options for the United States Essay1599 Words   |  7 PagesThe rise of China as a great power will most likely be one of the greatest potential challenges facing the United States in the 21st century. The rapid growth of China’s military and economic power – and the simultaneous decline in American capabilities –could become a source of tension and perhaps conflict between the two countries as the responsibilities that each state feels it should take on begin to change. There is reason for optimism, however, as specific economic factors, the general â€Å"openness†