Question

How did John F. Kennedy’s foreign policy agenda envision new initiatives aimed at countering communist influence in the world? How successful was Kennedy’s foreign policy?

Answer 1

Kennedys foreign policy was focused on American confrontation with the Soviet Union. They focused on combating communism in Cuba resulting in aggressive politics with the country. It started with proxy wars in the early stage of the cold war and almost scaled to a nuclear war with the Cuban Missile crisis. Kennedy allowed the CIA to launch an invasion at the bay of pigs. It resulted in a stronger coalition between Cuba and the Soviet Union. The USA also tried to topple the Castro regime several times.

It included the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba, resulting in the USA quarantining Cuba. The Soviet Union was forced to withdraw its missile. A nuclear test ban treaty was signed between the two countries. The cold war continued.

Kennedy promoted freedom over communism and in a public address near the West Berlin wall he mentioned that people did not know the difference between the free world and the communist world. He also mentioned that the world was built by Soviet to avoid East Germans to move into West Germany

Kennedy’s administration was characterized by a policy of containment. They gave support to third world countries and supported their nationalist movements. They supplied arm and military advisors to the third world countries and let them do the fighting when required. It resulted in the Vietnam War and several other wars in Africa, Asia, and South America.

Kennedy lost public support because he was unable to topple Castro in Cuba. The US government could not match the wits of Khrushchev at the Vienna summit. His decision to increase the troops in South Vietnam was also not appreciated.

The positives of his foreign policy include creating the Peace Corps where the American volunteers will work in the underdeveloped countries in education, farming, healthcare, and construction. Since 1961 there are 200,000 Americans serving in 139 nations. He also avoided escalating the Cuban missile war and signed the nuclear test ban treaty.

To conclude his foreign policy was a mix of positives and negatives where overemphasis on the fight against Communism almost resulted in a nuclear war. The positive was the creation of the peace corps, focus on developments in the developing countries and the nuclear test ban treaty between the USA and the Soviet Union.