A country’s foreign policy is the set of strategies it uses to shape and manage its relationships with other countries, regions and international organizations. It can include both hard and soft policies. Hard policies employ the use or threat of force to achieve goals and interests in the international system, such as military interventions, economic sanctions and nuclear deterrence. Soft policies are more appealing and attractive and seek to influence or persuade other actors in the international system rather than coerce them through force.
The most important goal of a country’s foreign policy is to avoid war and maintain peace. This is accomplished through building trust and establishing cooperation with reluctant allies, negotiating difficult trade agreements, bringing adversarial countries together for the purpose of ending wars, and finding ways to resolve political or ethical disputes without resorting to violence.
Among the greatest challenges facing global leaders are humanitarian crises and conflict exacerbated by climate change; adversaries seeking to expand their power and influence; autocrats threatening democracy from within; and new technologies that amplify existing threats while creating new ones. These and other issues affect the safety, prosperity and well-being of billions of people in the world—and millions of Americans—and must be addressed through careful and intelligent policymaking.
The president of the United States has broad powers to carry out foreign policy, including the ability to negotiate treaties and appoint ambassadors. These are often subject to checks and balances by Congress, the Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency.