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Chapter 18: Foreign Policy and Democracy
You Decide
Multilateralism versus Unilateralism

This exercise continues the multilateral versus unilateral discussion in the Policy Debate box in the text with a focus on the Iraq war and the war on terror. To help you with the following questions, here are definitions of unilateralism and multilateralism:

Unilateralism: A foreign policy that seeks to avoid international alliances, entanglements, and permanent commitments in favor of independence, neutrality, and freedom of action.

Multilateralism: A foreign policy that seeks to encourage the involvement of several nation-states in coordinated action, usually in relation to a common adversary, with terms and conditions usually specified in a multicountry treaty.

The first two articles debate the importance of working with international institutions in the decision to attack Iraq. The video clip with Benjamin Barber discusses how the problems associated with globalization affect the war on terror.

Read these two articles:

“John Brady Kiesling: A Diplomat Disagrees,” NOW with Bill Moyers at: www.pbs.org/now/politics/kiesling.html

and “Thank God for the Death of the UN” by Richard Perle, The Guardian at: www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,918812,00.html
1. Kiesling argues that the international laws limit our foes far more than they constrain us. What does he mean?
2. What are the benefits of multilateralism?
3. "As we sift the debris, it will be important to preserve, the better to understand, the intellectual wreckage of the liberal conceit of safety through international law administered by international institutions." What does Perle mean?
4. Go to: www.pbs.org/now/thisweek/index_073004.html#video and watch the interview with Benjamin Barber, starting at about 91 minutes into the segment.

What does Barber mean when he refers to terrorism’s strategic jujitsu (at 9:50 in the clip)?
5. Explain Barber’s explanation of globalization and why he feels President Bush’s approach to foreign policy is the wrong one.
6. Do you think the United States should act more multilaterally or unilaterally? Why?

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