Foreign Policy

Video

In this educational video on U.S. foreign policy, learn how the United States has shaped the world with its military and economic might.

Video

What Tools Do Foreign Policy-Makers Have at Their Disposal?

In this foreign policy video, learn how leaders further their countries’ interests with political, economic, and military tools such as diplomacy, trade, and intelligence.

Video

How Did the United States Approach the Tiananmen Square Crackdown?

In this educational video, learn how idealism and realism shaped U.S. foreign policy following the Chinese government’s massacre at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Interactive

Convene the Council

This free online game prompts students to make decisions about foreign policy challenges faced by the leaders of fictional countries.

Reading

What Roles Do Congress and the Executive Branch Play in U.S. Foreign Policy?

What does the Constitution say about foreign policy? In this free resource, explore how the powers of Congress and the president protect and advance the country’s interests abroad.

Reading

What Is the Relationship Between Domestic and Foreign Policy?

Explore maps and charts that illustrate how climate change, terrorism, COVID-19, and internet freedom require both international and domestic solutions in an increasingly interconnected world.

Reading

How Do Forces Outside Government Influence Policymaking?

Learn how journalism, social media, public opinion, and lobbies are all a part of American democracy and influence U.S. foreign policy.

Reading

What Is the National Security Council?

Learn how the president’s advisors protect U.S. national security and help with foreign policy decision-making and coordination across the executive branch.

Video

How Do Treaties Get Made?

In this U.S. foreign policy video, understand the challenges of negotiating treaties and dive into two international climate agreements.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: East Asia & The Pacific

The United States, a Pacific power itself, has maintained an interest in Asia for more than a century.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: South & Central Asia

In 1792, George Washington opened the United States’ first consulate in South Asia, in Kolkata, India.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: Sub-Saharan Africa

The United States’ relationship with sub-Saharan Africa dates back to the transatlantic slave trade era, even before the country’s independence.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: Middle East and North Africa

Since World War II, three main interests—ensuring the free flow of oil from the Gulf, guaranteeing the survival and security of Israel, and limiting the influence of the former Soviet Union—have driven U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: Europe

In his 1796 farewell address, President George Washington cautioned the United States to steer clear of foreign entanglements.

Video

How Do Countries Select Their Foreign Policy Tools?

In this educational video on foreign policy, explore how U.S. relations with Japan have changed over the past century, from Pearl Harbor to a peaceful alliance.

Reading

What Is Diplomacy?

In this free resource on diplomacy, understand how countries advocate for their national interests through foreign policy.

Reading

What Is Trade Policy?

In this free resource on trade policy, explore how countries leverage their economic power to advance their foreign policy interests.

Reading

What Is Armed Force?

In this free resource on military action, learn how countries use violence, or armed force, to influence foreign policy.

Reading

What Is Peacekeeping?

In this free resource on the successes and failures of peacekeeping, learn about the UN missions tasked with transitioning countries out of war.

Reading

What Is Arms Control?

In this free resource on arms control agreements, learn how countries try to regulate the world’s most powerful weapons through foreign policy.

Reading

What Is Deterrence?

In this free resource, explore examples of deterrence from the Cold War to present day to learn how countries dissuade bad behavior with the threat of significant punishment.

Reading

What Is Intelligence?

From Cold War double agents to Chinese spy balloons, explore how lying and spying inform policymaking in this resource on intelligence.

Reading

What Is Economic Statecraft?

Learn why China lends billions of dollars abroad each year through its Belt and Road Initiative and the implications of that free resource for recipient countries.

Video

What Is Nation-Building?

In this free resource on nation-building, learn why developing political, economic, security, and social institutions across borders is a complex business.

Reading

What Is Soft Power?

From Cold War propaganda to current day pop culture, learn how countries use soft power to influence others without coercion in this free resource.

Reading

What Are Economic Sanctions?

In this free resource on sanctions, learn how countries use punitive economic measures to advance their foreign policy priorities.

Video

How Do Governments Approach Foreign Policy?

In this educational video, explore three fundamental questions that shape a country’s relationship with the world through foreign policy.

Reading

Unilateralism Versus Multilateralism

What is unilateralism? What is multilateralism? In this free resource on foreign policy, explore why leaders address some challenges independently and others as part of a team.

Reading

Isolationism Versus Engagement

What is isolationism? What is engagement? In this free resource on foreign policy, explore why some leaders view the outside world as a threat and others view it as an opportunity.

Reading

Idealism Versus Realism

What is idealism? What is realism? In this free resource, explore two schools of thought on a country’s foreign policy priorities.

Reading

U.S. Foreign Policy: The Americas

Since the 1800s, the United States has positioned itself as the preeminent power in the Americas.

Video

The Suez Canal Crisis

Explore a historical case study on the Suez Canal to understand how monetary policy can also be used as a tool of foreign policy.

Video

Trade as Foreign Policy

When local concerns drive national trade policies, there are global consequences.

Learning Journeys

A learning journey is a curated collection of resources that explore a topic from a specific perspective.

Learning Journey

Will China Invade Taiwan?

Explore Taiwan’s relationships with the United States and China. Then take part in a national security simulation to help avoid future conflict.

Learning Journey

Trade: Trade Wars

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand trade relations between the United States and China.

Learning Journey

Trade: Policy

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand the ways in which trade can be used as part of foreign policy.

Learning Journey

Trade: Introduction

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand international trade.

Learning Journey

U.S. Foreign Policy

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand U.S. foreign policy.

Learning Journey

Tools of Foreign Policy

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand the tools of foreign policy.

Learning Journey

Approaches to Foreign Policy

Explore this collection of learning resources to understand the critical debates behind foreign policy strategy.