The United States after the Cold War
| Subject: | 🗽 American History |
| Type: | Analytical Essay |
| Pages: | 3 |
| Word count: | 887 |
| Topics: | Cold War, ⚔️ Military Science, 🔫 Gun Control |
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Table of Contents
American Military Interventions
The military interventions conducted by the United States since the end of the Cold War have for the most part been detrimental to both Americans and the areas that have been invaded. This is because it has led to considerable costs in life and funds for Americans who have participated in these conflicts (Stapleton & Keating, 2015). The American invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan can be considered to have been among the most dramatic military interventions in the history of the nation because they ended up leading to the deaths of thousands of American servicemen as well as the local people that sought to resist the invasion. Furthermore, it has led to the destabilization of these two nations which, while previously not having democratic governments, were fairly stable and prosperous (Monat & Gannon, 2017). The American involvement in their domestic affairs has essentially made Iraq and Afghanistan failed states, which has led to many individuals dying because of conflict and lack of basic services which was present before.
Gun Politics
Gun politics is one of the most volatile subjects in the United States and has been a matter of debate for decades. However, despite this being the case, in recent years, it has become an even more contentious issue because of the increase in gun violence that has left a considerable number of individuals dead or maimed for life (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski, & Barry, 2014). Supporters of gun control believe that keeping guns away from individuals and placing restrictions is essential in bringing about a reduction in the levels of gun violence while at the same time preventing criminals from having access to guns. Pro-gun activists, on the other hand, believe that it is critical for law abiding citizens to possess guns because it is one of the best way through which to not only ensure that advancement of self-defense, but also protection against tyranny, as cited in the Constitution (Karol, 2015). The latter further suggest that it is critical to make sure that there is the consideration that even without guns being readily available, criminals will always have access to them; making it necessary to possess guns for self-defense.
Diplomatic Relations
The United States has amicable diplomatic relations with the majority of countries in the world and this can be considered an essential source of its global influence. However, there are some countries with which the United States has made the decision to undertake extremely hostile relations. One such country is Iran, which, despite being the most natural ally to America in the Middle East, is one that is treated with the most hostility (Friedman, 2015). The natural ability of Iran to become an American ally is based on the fact that despite its being headed by a clerical establishment, it is the only country in the Middle East that has what can be considered a democracy, as seen through the regular presidential and legislative elections that are held every five years. However, America’s main allies in the region are absolute monarchies that have no common characteristics to the United States (Yom & Gause III, 2012). A consequence is that the hostile relations between the United States and Iran have ended up making the situation in the Middle East worse that it would otherwise have been if the two countries has cooperated with one another.
Obamacare
Obamacare is another contentious issue that has plagued the domestic politics of the United States. Democrats and Republicans do not see eye to eye when it comes to it despite its intention of being able to help those individuals that are not covered by insurance to receive much needed coverage (Center, Woods, Manchikanti, & Purdue Pharma, 2017). A consequence has been that there has been an increase in efforts by the Republicans in recent years to ensure that Obamacare is brought to an end and an alternative plan put in place to replace it. However, such initiatives have not been able to solve the issues surrounding the manner through which those individuals that rely completely on Obamacare can continue being supported (Jones, Bradley, & Oberlander, 2014). Moreover, all efforts made by the republicans to ensure that Obamacare is repealed and replaced have essentially failed because they do not have an alternative plan that can be put in place to bring about a more comprehensive healthcare reform.
National Debt
In recent years, there has been considerable concern about the increasing national debt (Xu, Kim, & Moussawi, 2016). This is because the government has been spending more than receiving to such an extent that there has developed an increase in situations where there is the possibility of a government shutdown. Most of the national debt is held by either the public or are intergovernmental debts, but while this might be the case, there is also debt held by foreign investors such as China and Japan, which are the biggest holders of American national debt (Labonte & Nagel, 2016). There has been concern that that the government of the United States might end up not being able to meet its obligations, with the potential of a situation where there are catastrophic results for the nation. Therefore, it has become critical to ensure that there is a reduction of the national debt in order to secure the nation against such circumstances.
- Center, H., Woods, C., Manchikanti, L., & Purdue Pharma, L. (2017). A Critical Analysis of Obamacare: Affordable Care or Insurance for Many and Coverage for Few? Pain physician, 20, 111-138.
- Friedman, T. L. (2015). Iran and the Obama doctrine. The New York Times, 5(4).
- Jones, D. K., Bradley, K. W., & Oberlander, J. (2014). Pascal’s Wager: health insurance exchanges, Obamacare, and the Republican dilemma. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 39(1), 97-137.
- Karol, D. (2015). Party Activists, Interest Groups, and Polarization in American Politics. American Gridlock: The Sources, Character, and Impact of Political Polarization, 68-85.
- Labonte, M., & Nagel, J. C. (2016). Foreign holdings of Federal debt. Congressional Research Service, RS, 22331.
- McGinty, E. E., Webster, D. W., Jarlenski, M., & Barry, C. L. (2014). News media framing of serious mental illness and gun violence in the United States, 1997-2012. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 406-413.
- Monat, J. P., & Gannon, T. F. (2017). Failures of Systems Thinking in US Foreign Policy. American Journal of Systems Science, 5(1), 1-12.
- Stapleton, B. J., & Keating, M. (2015). Military and civilian assistance to Afghanistan 2001–14: An incoherent approach. Afghanistan: Opportunity in Crisis Series(10).
- Xu, M., Kim, S. H., & Moussawi, H. (2016). The US Government Debt: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 18(1), 69.
- Yom, S. L., & Gause III, F. G. (2012). Resilient royals: How Arab monarchies hang on. Journal of Democracy, 23(4), 74-88.
Offered for reference purposes only.