U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS, SPRING 2011

FOREIGN POLICY, DAY TWO, & THE AMERICAN FUTURE

More OSY chapter 14; and discussion of News summary #5

Monday, May 16

QUESTIONS:

1. Inform one another about the subject matter of the two articles you chose, and talk about whether, based on the content of the two articles you chose, there appear to be solutions/cause for optimism in thinking about these future issues, and/or a lack of solutions/cause for pessimism.

2. Discuss James Fallows’ perspective on the American Future in the NS 5 starter article, “How America Can Rise Again.” What aspects of U.S. life and culture and politics give Fallows optimism about the future, and what aspects is he concerned about?

3. Going back to OSY chapter 14, to what extent does a peaceful global order depend on the United States being the sole military superpower in the world?

4. George Washington warned against the kind of international alliances that the U.S. now leads. Was Washington wrong, or simply giving the best advice for a very different era? Put another way, could or should the U.S. be less engaged with other nations today – if so, why, and if not why not?

5. Considering all of the material for Friday and today, what do you think about America’s future? What makes you optimistic or pessimistic, and why?