A Faustian Foreign Policy from Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush

Abstract

A Faustian Foreign Policy from Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush critiques U.S. foreign policy during this period by showing how moralistic diplomacy has increasingly assumed Faustian overtones, especially during the Cold War and following September 11. The ideological components of American diplomacy, originating in the late 18th and 19th centuries, evolved through the 20th century as U.S. economic and political power steadily increased. Seeing myth making as essential in any country's founding and a common determinant of its foreign policy, Professor Joan Hoff reveals how the basic belief in its exceptionalism has driven America's past and present attempts to remake the world in its own image. She expands her original concept of 'independent internationalism' as the modus operandi of U.S. diplomacy to reveal the many unethical Faustian deals the United States entered into since 1920 to obtain its current global supremacy.

The Politology of Woodrow Wilson in the Context of the Evolution of American Universities: An Analysis of Contemporary Discussions

“…Подобно Фаусту у Иоганна Вольфганга фон Гёте, который упивался юностью, безграничными знаниями и богатством, временно дарованными ему Мефистофелем, Соединенные Штаты упивались своим быстрым подъемом процветания и могущества в течение Американского Века. Точно так же, как Фауст игнорировал отвратительность и жестокость своей связи с Маргаритой, американские президенты от Вудро Вильсона до Джорджа Буша-младшего закрывали глаза на часто заключаемые ими грязные дипломатические сделки, поскольку это подорвало бы их собственную веру и веру страны в американскую добродетель и исключительность» [Hoff, 2008, p. 2] (см. также: [Ninkovich, 1999).…”

Rethinking the Caribbean Basin Initiative: A case study of US foreign policy toward the Caribbean

“…President Woodrow Wilson would continue to pursue US economic advancement, but he vacillated between the use of paternalistic rule of law and military intervention to impose capitalism (Hoff, 2007; Steigerwald, 1999). Wilson announced to his audience during the 1912 presidential campaign that “if prosperity is not to be checked in this country, we must broaden our borders and make conquest of the markets of the world” (Hoff, 2007, p. 40; Steigerwald, 1999, p. 84).…”

“…President Woodrow Wilson would continue to pursue US economic advancement, but he vacillated between the use of paternalistic rule of law and military intervention to impose capitalism (Hoff, 2007; Steigerwald, 1999). Wilson announced to his audience during the 1912 presidential campaign that “if prosperity is not to be checked in this country, we must broaden our borders and make conquest of the markets of the world” (Hoff, 2007, p. 40; Steigerwald, 1999, p. 84). One of Wilson's grand reform legislations during his first term, the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, “permitted American banks to open up foreign branches, with Latin America as the practical target” (Steigerwald, 1999, p. 84).…”