International Relations 270
American Foreign Policy
Spring 2006
Final Exam


Please answer one of the following questions in an essay of no more than five pages. The exam is an open-book, open-discussion exam and you are not expected to do additional research to answer the question. Such research, however, is not prohibited. Keep in mind however, that one of the purposes of this exam is to demonstrate your understanding and mastery of the material presented in this class - make sure to cite relevant literature in your arguments.

The essays are due no later than noon on 15 May for seniors. All seniors should identify their status with BIG, BLOCK LETTERS that say "SENIOR." All other students must submit their answers no later than 18 May. Papers can be emailed to us as an attachment directly to vferraro@mtholyoke.edu or they can be turned into Prof. Ferraro’s mailbox outside his office in room 103 Skinner Hall or Professor Ellis’s mailbox in the History Department Office on the 3rd floor of Skinner. We will let you know if we have difficulties printing out the paper. We use Microsoft Word so we would prefer receiving papers in that format.

1) Identify what you regard as the best and the worst examples of leadership and decision-making in twentieth-century American foreign policy. One example of each will suffice. Explain why the "best" succeeded and the "worst" failed.

2) Discuss the historical reasons why the US is inherently ambivalent about performing its role as the global hegemon. In what areas is the US fully prepared, economically and ideologically, to perform that role? In what areas is the US an extremely reluctant hegemon?

3) Which has served as a better guide for American foreign policy: ”interests” or “values”? Using historical and contemporary examples, demonstrate the effectiveness of using either to determine US foreign policy.

4) The primary focus of the course has been the values which help shape American foreign policy. However, we have discussed those values (freedom, representative democracy, market capitalism, and human rights) as if they themselves had not changed dramatically over the years. Did these values change for the United States after 1945 when it decided to enter world affairs as a hegemonic power?