Do Morals Matter? : Presidents and Foreign Policy From FDR to Trump

Americans constantly make moral judgments about presidents and foreign policy. Unfortunately, many of these assessments are poorly thought through. A president is either praised for the moral clarity of his statements or judged solely on the results of their actions. In Do Morals Matter?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., one of the world's leading scholars of international relations, provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of the role of ethics in US foreign policy during the American era after 1945. Nye works through each presidency from FDR to Trump and scores their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions of their intentions, the means they used, and the consequences of their decisions. Alongside this, he also evaluates their leadership qualities, elaborating on which approaches work and which ones do not. Regardless of a president's policy preference, Nye shows that each one was not fully constrained by the structure of the system and actually had choices. He further notes the important ethical consequences of non-actions, such as Truman's willingness to accept stalemate in Korea rather than use nuclear weapons. Since we so often apply moral reasoning to foreign policy, Nye suggests how to do it better. Most importantly, presidents need to factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy—especially in a future international system that presents not only great power competition from China and Russia, but a host of transnational threats: the illegal drug trade, infectious diseases, terrorism, cybercrime, and climate change. Americans Constantly Make Moral Statements About Presidents And Foreign Policy. Unfortunately, Many Of These Judgments Are Poorly Thought Through. A President Is Either Praised For The Moral Clarity Of His Statements Or Judged Solely On The Results Of Their Actions. Woodrow Wilson Showed, However, That Good Intentions Without Adequate Means Can Lead To Ethically Bad Consequences. Richard Nixon, On The Other Hand, Is Credited With Ending The Vietnam War, But He Sacrificed 21,000 American Lives And Countless Others For Only A Brief Decent Interval. In Do Morals Matter?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., One Of The World's Leading Scholars Of International Relations, Provides A Concise Yet Penetrating Analysis Of The Role Of Ethics In Us Foreign Policy During The American Era After 1945. Nye Works Through Each Presidency From Truman To Trump And Scores Their Foreign Policy On Three Ethical Dimensions Of Their Intentions, The Means They Used, And The Consequences Of Their Decisions. Alongside This, He Also Evaluates Their Leadership Qualities, Elaborating On Which Approaches Work And Which Ones Do Not. Regardless Of A President's Policy Preference, Nye Shows That Each One Was Not Constrained By The Structure Of The System And Actually Had Choices. He Further Notes The Important Ethical Consequences Of Non-actions, Such As Truman's Willingness To Accept Stalemate In Korea Rather Than Use Nuclear Weapons. Since We So Often Apply Moral Reasoning To Foreign Policy, Nye Suggests How To Do It Better. Most Importantly, Presidents Need To Factor In Both The Political Context And The Availability Of Resources When Deciding How To Implement An Ethical Policy--especially In A Future International System That Presents Not Only Great Power Competition From China And Russia, But Transnational Threats As Borders Become Porous To Everything From Drugs To Infectious Diseases To Terrorism To Cyber Criminals And Climate Change. -- At Dinner With A Group Of Friends, One Asked What I Had Been Doing Lately. When I Said I Was Writing A Book On Presidents, Ethics And Foreign Policy, She Quipped It Must Be A Short Book. Another Added More Seriously, I Didn't Think Ethics Played Much Of A Role. That Conventional Wisdom Marks Not Only Dinner Discussions, But Political Analyses As Well. An Internet Search Shows Surprisingly Few Books On How Presidents' Moral Views Affected Their Foreign Policies And How That Affects Our Judgments Of Them. As Michael Walzer (an Important Exception To The Rule) Described American Graduate Training After 1945, Moral Argument Was Against The Rules Of The Discipline As It Was Commonly Practiced, Although A Few Writers Defended Interest As The New Morality. A Survey Of The Top Three American Academic Journals On International Relations Over Fifteen Years Found Only Four Articles On The Subject. As One Author Noted, Leading Scholars...do Not Dedicate Serious Attention To Investigating The Influence Of Moral Values On The Conduct Of Nations. It Is Not A Career-enhancing Topic For A Young Scholar, But Has Long Intrigued Me As An Old Practitioner And Student Of American Foreign Policy. The Reasons For Skepticism Seem Obvious To Many. While Historians Have Written About American Exceptionalism And Moralism, Diplomats And Theorists Like George Kennan Long Warned About The Bad Consequences Of The American Moralist-legalist Tradition. International Relations Is The Realm Of Anarchy With No World Government To Provide Order. States Must Provide For Their Own Defense, And When Survival Is At Stake, The Ends Justify The Means. Where There Is No Meaningful Choice There Can Be No Ethics. As Philosophers Say, Ought Implies Can. No-one Can Fault You For Not Doing The Impossible-- Machine Generated Contents Note: -- Chapter 1: American Foreign Policy Ethical Traditions -- Chapter 2: What Is A Moral Foreign Policy? -- Chapter 3: The Founders -- Chapter 4: The Vietnam Era -- Chapter 5: Post Vietnam -- Chapter 7: The Unipolar Moment -- Chapter 8: The 21st Century Diffusion Of Power -- Chapter 9: American Foreign Policy And The Future Order. Joseph S. Nye. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. " Americans constantly make moral statements about presidents and foreign policy. Unfortunately, many of these judgments are poorly thought through. A president is either praised for the moral clarity of his statements or judged solely on the results of their actions. Woodrow Wilson showed, however, that good intentions without adequate means can lead to ethically bad consequences. Richard Nixon, on the other hand, is credited with ending the Vietnam War, but he sacrificed 21,000 American lives and countless others for only a brief "decent interval." In Do Morals Matter?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., one of the world's leading scholars of international relations, provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of the role of ethics in US foreign policy during the American era after 1945. Nye works through each presidency from Truman to Trump and scores their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions of their intentions, the means they used, and the consequences of their decisions. Alongside this, he also evaluates their leadership qualities, elaborating on which approaches work and which ones do not. Regardless of a president's policy preference, Nye shows that each one was not constrained by the structure of the system and actually had choices. He further notes the important ethical consequences of non-actions, such as Truman's willingness to accept stalemate in Korea rather than use nuclear weapons. Since we so often apply moral reasoning to foreign policy, Nye suggests how to do it better. Most importantly, presidents need to factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy--especially in a future international system that presents not only great power competition from China and Russia, but transnational threats as borders become porous to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to terrorism to cyber criminals and climate change. "-- Provided by publisher A concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have--and have not--incorporated ethics into their foreign policy.Americans constantly make moral judgments about presidents and foreign policy. Unfortunately, many of these assessments are poorly thought through. In Do Morals Matter?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of the role of ethics in US foreign policy since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency onward. Nye works through each presidency from FDR to Trump and scores their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions: their intentions, the means they used, and the consequences of their decisions. He also evaluates their leadership qualities, elaborating on which approaches work and which ones do not. Regardless of a president's policy preference, Nye shows that each one was not fully constrained by the structure of the system and actually had choices. Since we so often apply moral reasoning to foreign policy, Nye suggests how to do it better. Most importantly, he shows that presidents need to factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy-especially in a future international system that presents not only great power competition from China and Russia, but a host of additional transnational threats. A concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have--and have not--incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Americans constantly make moral judgments about presidents and foreign policy. Unfortunately, many of these assessments are poorly thought through. In Do Morals Matter?, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of the role of ethics in US foreign policy since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidency onward. Nye works through each presidency from FDR to Trump and scores their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions: their intentions, the means they used, and the consequences of their decisions. He also evaluates their leadership qualities, elaborating on which approaches work and which ones do not. Regardless of a president's policy preference, Nye shows that each one was not fully constrained by the structure of the system and actually had choices. Since we so often apply moral reasoning to foreign policy, Nye suggests how to do it better. Most importantly, he shows that presidents need to factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy-especially in a future international system that presents not only great power competition from China and Russia, but a host of additional transnational threats. Preface Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: American Moralism American Exceptionalism Wilsonian Liberalism The Liberal International Order After 1945 2 What Is a Moral Foreign Policy? How We Make Moral Judgments Double Standards and Dirty Hands Mental Maps of the World and Moral Foreign Policy The Best Moral Choice in the Context: Scorecards 3 The Founders Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower 4 The Vietnam Era John F. Kennedy Lyndon Baines Johnson Richard M. Nixon 5 Post-Vietnam Retrenchment Gerald R. Ford James Earl Carter 6 The End of the Cold War Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush 7 The Unipolar Moment William Jefferson Clinton George Walker Bush 8 Twenty-First-Century Power Shifts Barack Hussein Obama Donald John Trump 9 Foreign Policy and Future Choices Assessing Ethical Foreign Policy Since World War II Contextual Intelligence and Moral Choices The Ups and Downs of American Moral Traditions Challenges for a Future Moral Foreign Policy Conclusions Notes Index