The Secret To America's Foreign Policy Failure Summary

Walt’s article, The Secret to America’s Foreign-Policy Success (And Failure), describes several foreign policy accomplishments and successes over the last decades by citing several examples of U.S. involvement in global issues. Walt argues that the foreign policy failures are more substantial and overshadowed successful policies. He disputes this in the article by juxtaposing notable U.S. foreign policy accomplishment in 1993 with today’s foreign policy debacles. Walt believes that U.S. foreign policy often fails because officials set unrealistic goals, U.S. military force is overused, and U.S. equities are placed ahead of state’s interests.
Walt’s makes a convincing argument that the failures of the last two decades are in part attributed to U.S. foreign policy officials setting unrealistic goals, specifically, trying to stimulate democratic governments and free market economies in unstable states. When appropriate, the U.S. should lead and encourage the displacement of authoritarian for

foreign policy goals often fail when we put our equities above other state’s interests and believe that our perceived authority around the world obviates the need for any give-and-take. The notion of uncompromising demands is not as prevalent today. Foreign officials are perfecting the art of diplomacy and states are able to leverage their foreign policy tools (e.g., trade, energy, natural resources, access) to achieve compromising results. However, when U.S. foreign policy officials establish realistic goals and assumes a degree of compromise we can achieve the greater good. On the other hand, when hard lines are drawn and instruments of power, such as sanctions are put in place, relationships do not progress and often the country’s people suffer. There is a large number of U.S. foreign policy officials and general public that believe compromising with other states shows weakness in our ability to achieve the desired