Chapter Three Web Exercises

The Presidents: PBS's "The American Experience." "The American Experience" is an inclusive Web site that features some of the most prominent presidents in the 20th century, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Sections focus on the US foreign policy achievements of each president. Choose your favorite president and read about their accomplishments. Chapter 3 introduces the "history-making individuals model" which equates a state's foreign policy with the preferences and initiatives of the highest government officials. In the US, this would be the President. Now that you are familiar with the foreign policy achievements of some US presidents, do you believe the "history-making individuals model" captures the essence of a state's foreign policy? What are the limits to the "history-making individuals model"?

Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War. Chapter 3 presents the "democratic peace theory." This theory contends that "although democratic states sometimes way wars against other states, they do not fight each other". Political Scientist R.J. Rummel has devoted his career to research on the causes and conditions of collective violence and war with a view toward helping their resolution or elimination. He supports the "democratic peace proposition." Visit his Web site to analyze his work. What evidence do you think supports the "democratic peace proposition"? A cautionary note, some of the pictures on the site contain graphic violence.

Freedom House. This non-profit organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie has been concerned with the threat to peace and democracy around the world. Each year, since 1972, Freedom House has published comparative ratings for every country and territory in the world, evaluating levels of political rights and civil liberties. Your text uses data on the spread of democratic liberty throughout the world provided by Freedom House. Visit this site and examine specific countries' "freedom" records. Which countries have radically improved their records? Why do you think this is so?