I wanted to take a minute to list some of the tools at a nation's disposal, particularly one as large as the United States.
There's the obvious, of course. Military might. Sanctions. War, deterrence, and alliances.
Then there's various versions of gift giving and exchange. Military hardware. Experts (military and civilian). USAID. Training events (I've had a number of foreign soldiers go through military training with me, and I'm sure we've sent our soldiers through some foreign schools as well.)
Trade agreements. Most Favored Nation status. Tax policies, foreign and domestic. Domestic policies that affect international trade (like protecting local farmers). Loans.
Extradition treaties. Cooperation on international criminal cases.
Humanitarian aid, disaster relief.
Immigration decisions. Decisions on which countries citizens have what privileges when traveling to a foreign country (i.e. I can travel to Europe on a passport without getting a visa). Foreign exchange programs.
International tribunals. International law. The United Nations, and resolutions at the UN.
Diplomacy. Who has an embassy where. Diplomatic statements on events occurring in other nations. Official positions, and unofficial positions, as conveyed from an ambassador to another nation's leadership.
Espionage. Agreements for various levels of access to a nation's classified information.
Information operations and propaganda (like supporting radio stations).
Special Ops, Black Ops, Grey Ops.
I'm sure I'm missing a few things here, but it's worth pausing to consider the full gamut of options before going on to the next bit. Particularly since we focus so much on war and trade.
There's the obvious, of course. Military might. Sanctions. War, deterrence, and alliances.
Then there's various versions of gift giving and exchange. Military hardware. Experts (military and civilian). USAID. Training events (I've had a number of foreign soldiers go through military training with me, and I'm sure we've sent our soldiers through some foreign schools as well.)
Trade agreements. Most Favored Nation status. Tax policies, foreign and domestic. Domestic policies that affect international trade (like protecting local farmers). Loans.
Extradition treaties. Cooperation on international criminal cases.
Humanitarian aid, disaster relief.
Immigration decisions. Decisions on which countries citizens have what privileges when traveling to a foreign country (i.e. I can travel to Europe on a passport without getting a visa). Foreign exchange programs.
International tribunals. International law. The United Nations, and resolutions at the UN.
Diplomacy. Who has an embassy where. Diplomatic statements on events occurring in other nations. Official positions, and unofficial positions, as conveyed from an ambassador to another nation's leadership.
Espionage. Agreements for various levels of access to a nation's classified information.
Information operations and propaganda (like supporting radio stations).
Special Ops, Black Ops, Grey Ops.
I'm sure I'm missing a few things here, but it's worth pausing to consider the full gamut of options before going on to the next bit. Particularly since we focus so much on war and trade.
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