What four traditional foreign policy roles has the United States adopted throughout its history?
• The United States has adopted various roles throughout its history: the Napoleonic, the holy alliance, the balance of power, and economic expansionist roles. • The Napoleonic role is based on the philosophy that a nation is not safe until all countries adopt democracy. • The holy alliance role attempts to maintain the status quo by preventing any revolution, including democratic revolutions. • The balance of power role attempts to play the major powers off against each other so that no single power or combination of powers feels strong enough to challenge the others. • The economic expansionist role is based on the premise that economic development is more important than political systems or ideology. II. Since the end of World War II, how has the role of the United States in world affairs evolved? • The United States adopted a Napoleonic role during and after World War II in an attempt to make the world safe for democracy and for economic markets. • During the Cold War, American for
