American Exceptionalism In U.S. Foreign Policy

The thesis discusses the belief of American exceptionalism as a national creed in the United States and its influence on the formation and implementation of American foreign policy.As one of the enduring American political ideologies, American exceptionalism constitutes an integral component of American political culture. Traditionally the term American exceptionalism denotes the perception that the United States differs significantly and qualitatively from other nations; the nation is not only unique but"exemplar"or"superior"among nations.The belief of American exceptionalism, the way Americans hold about themselves and the rest of the world constitutes one of the underlying philosophies for the making and implementation of US foreign policy. Two main strands of American exceptionalism sentiments have influenced American foreign policy.One is the exemplar strand as reflected in the vision of"city upon a hill"and"isolationism."Followers of this strand insist more detached, introspective foreign policies serving foreign trade and domestic development; they have mostly advocated that the United States remain somewhat aloof from the world's troubles and Americans should strive to perfect their own society as much as possible, concentrating on building a model society for others to copy rather than forcing the benefits of American life on others. The other is the missionary strand derived from the idea of"manifest destiny". Followers of the missionary strand of American exceptionalism believe that it is the divine mission of the U.S. to advance freedom and democracy to every corner of the world. In the process of its overseas expansion and interference, the U.S. would not seek dominion over other peoples in its self-interest, but to help them become free and democratic.The concept of American exceptionalism, however, has been an issue of controversy as the exceptional nature of the United States has been brought into question from time to time. While the academic disputes and debates persist, American exceptionalism permeates throughout the history of US foreign relations and still prevails in framing US foreign policy.