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Over the course of the last half-century the U.S. has enjoyed unprecedented power in every aspect whether it be politically, economically, militarily, or by any other means. In its dominance of world politics since WWII, the U.S. has been able to cast its influence around the globe. However, the U.S. experienced a gradual decline in its sovereignty over the course of this era as well. A prime example was in 1973 when OPEC raised oil prices drastically over the course of the next two years. “OPEC’s ability to increase at will the world price of its precious product highlighted the industrial world’s dependence on foreign sources of energy.” (Keylor, p.346) Being a sovereign nation requires not being subject to external forces, being able to conduct an independent foreign policy, and being able to control events within your own borders. Today, U.S. sovereignty continues to decline for a number of reasons. The only question is whether it is healthy or harmful for the U.S. to do so. The first reason why U.S. sovereignty is declining is due to what is known as interdependence. This phenomenon developed after WWII with the creation of the UN, GATT, the IMF and other such intergovernmental organiz
Aside from its place in the world market, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction also serves to limit the sovereignty of the U.S. First off, new nuclear powers, which would likely include a number of aggressive authoritarian states, will lack the resources to manage the elaborate command and control capabilities required. “Even if hostile countries somehow catch up in an arms race, their military organizations and cultures are unlikely to catch up in the competence race for management, technology assimilation, and combat command skills.” (Betts, p.29) In addition to proliferation of nuclear weapons, there is also wide concern among U.S. leaders about the spread and development of biological weapons. The rise of religious nationalism and anti-U.S. sentiments in nations such as Iraq give cause for concern to the U.S. that an attack using biological weapons is possible. “One simple fact should worry Americans more about biological than about nuclear or chemical arms: unlike either of the other two, biological weapons combine maximum destructiveness and easy availability.” (Betts, p.32) ations. All of these served to create linkages between the major nations of the world in the postwar era. Membership in such organizations makes the U.S. subject to international law. Rosecrance’s identification of the trading state signifies the shift away from geopolitical influence and towards a global economy. Both the roles of international trade and foreign investment have increasingly become a greater element of U.S. economic importance. Additionally, the ty
Some common words found in the essay are:
GATT IMF, , United States’, Cold War, Huntington Huntington, African Islamic, terrorist attack, biological weapons, economies world, impossible deter, world politics, erosion sovereignty, nuclear weapons, foreign policy, wriston p179,
Approximate Word count = 1083
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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