US role in the world

The role of foreign policy in the United States is a widely disputed area of
politics. There are two distinct schools of thought that I believe, upon combining, will
lead to a better approach to foreign policy. The first school of thought is hegemonic
realism, the second, prudent realism. Through these two approaches America will be able
to do a better job in helping other nations, while achieving our national interests. The
advantage of combining these two schools is in a sense, combining the best of both
worlds. It is not my belief that this approach is in any way the best. However, I firmly
believe that this is the best of our current options.

When considering foreign policy we, (The US) must take into account and
constantly remind ourselves that the US makes up a small population of the world. The
importance of this reminder is quite obvious. We cannot without justification put
national interests ahead of our humanity. We have learned from mistakes in the pas...