Which foreign policy toward Europe did President George Washington recommend in his Farewell Address?

In George Washington's Farewell Address of 1796, he first observed that the United States was in an unusual and favorable geographic situation, a situation he described as "detached and distant." He further observed that the United States was in the process of consolidating its territory in North America so that a time would soon come in which it was virtually immune to external military threats and could demand respect for neutrality.
With this in mind, Washington advised the United States to pursue a policy of cordiality towards the nations of Europe, entering into "temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies" but generally avoiding any long-term or standing pacts or agreements with foreign states.
This policy recommendation of Washington came to form the basis of what would later be called Washington's Doctrine of Unstable Alliances.
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=15&page=transcript


In his Farewell Address, George Washington famously warns his fellow Americans against the dangers of getting bogged down in other countries' affairs, or "foreign entanglements," as he calls them. Washington wants the United States to have good relations with other countries, to show good faith and justice towards nations, and to cultivate peace and harmony with all. But the basis of America's foreign policy should be commercial, rather than political, interests. Washington is anxious to avoid choosing sides in conflicts that have nothing whatsoever to do with the United States. Europe has its own interests, but these have little, if anything, to do with American interests. European interests will always lead to conflict or upheaval of some kind or another. The United States should keep out of them. The nation is extraordinarily fortunate in that its relatively isolated geographical location allows it to stand apart from the political turmoil that routinely causes such trouble in Europe. America can pursue its own unique course, free from the permanent alliances that characterize European power politics.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How does Bilbo show leadership and courage in The Hobbit?

In “Goodbye to All That,” Joan Didion writes that the “lesson” of her story is that “it is distinctly possible to remain too long at the fair.” What does she mean? How does the final section of the essay portray how she came to this understanding, her feelings about it, and the consequences of it?

Why does the poet say "all the men and women merely players"?