Week 5 Assignment 1

Melvin T. Drew

POL 300

Week 5 Assignment 1

Professor David Brand

May 10, 2013

Abstract

In this paper I will first summarize a situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during the president’s time in office. I will then explicate the diplomatic doctrine the president followed, with reference to specific actions or events that occurred. I will describe the effects of these diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries. I will assess, in conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of the particular doctrine that was followed. Last, I will cite at least four (4) reputable sources in addition to the textbook, not including Wikipedia, encyclopedias, or dictionaries.

Week 5 Assignment 1

The Kennedy Doctrine was put forth by John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917 - 1963), 35th president of the United States of America. He was a vocal proponent for the containment of Communism and its decline of political, military and economic influence inside the Western Hemisphere, mainly in the Latin American developing areas of the West (Canaday).

The Kennedy Doctrine was an expansion of previous doctrines of former United States Presidents Eisenhower and Truman. Their doctrines addressed the ill threats of Communism and how American foreign policy would deal with it. Although Kennedy's main focus was Communism in the West, their main focus was the containment of Communism in the Eastern hemisphere of the world, especially in the Middle East (Canaday).

The Kennedy Doctrine was essentially an expansion of the foreign policy prerogatives of the previous administrations of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman. The foreign policies of these presidents all revolved around the threat of communism and the means by which the United States would attempt to contain the spread of it. The Truman Doctrine focused on the containment of communism by providing assistance to countries resisting communism in Europe while the Eisenhower Doctrine was focused upon providing both...