Chapter 12: Transnational Policy Problems

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Chapter Summary

Transnational policy problems exist outside the security and economic policy domains of U.S. foreign policy. Global public goods--resources that affect people regardless of country of origin--are at the forefront of U.S. foreign-policy making. Global policies involving U.S. interests center on environmental, energy, arms transfer, and human rights issues. The United States faces several difficulties in making transnational policy, such as domestic obstacles in Congress and self-interest motives that make the United States appear to be a free rider in some global policies. The United States, however, is the key figure in these global policies as it is the leading polluter, arms supplier, and democratization promoter in the world.

A number of issues present transnational policy problems for the country. The United States is often in conflict, on cultural and institutional grounds, with global environmental policies like the Kyoto Protocol, which is designed to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. concerns about "free riders"--such as China and India, which were not asked to comply with pollution regulations--also prevent engagement with such agreements. Domestic economic concerns loom in this policy area, particularly given the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy (already decimated since the last recession). Energy policies pose similar difficulties for the United States, which continues to consume more oil than any other country. Oil consumption is also linked to security and economic policy because of arrangements for obtaining oil from such producers as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Although concerns over nuclear weapons and mutually assured destruction have diminished, worries about small and deadly weapons transfers are on the rise as these transactions are largely unregulated. Most arms transfers go to less-developed countries, which often have weak, repressive, and unstable governing bodies. The United States is the leading arms exporter and continues to capture more of this market fueled by pressure from multinational corporations. Concerns in this growing policy area include civil wars, backfire against the United States and its allies, and rewarding repressive governments.

The paradox of U.S. foreign policy is exemplified by global human rights. Although the U.S. government champions political and civil freedoms in its rhetoric, actual policies often come with strings attached or not at all. Democratization or reform of political institutions through state- and nation-building is a complex process with which the United States has had mixed success. Iraq is one example of this paradox: as the United States attempts to build an effective state, it is being accused of human rights abuses against Iraqis. U.S. opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is another example of paradoxical behavior. The ICC represents global jurisprudence to ensure political freedom and human rights, which is similar to the rationale for U.S. courts of justice. However, the United States declined to participate in the ICC based on concerns that the country's global primacy would make it a target for charges of war crimes and foreign aggression. The ICC is just one example of an institution that poses a difficult challenge for the United States regarding leadership and constraint in foreign policy.