Woodrow Wilson’s Foreign Policy

Woodrow Wilson’s Foreign Policy
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Woodrow Wilson’s Foreign Policy
President Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy centered on promoting democratic values and human rights in international relations from 1913 to 1921. His policy of promoting national self-determination for all countries, particularly those under colonial authority, aimed to advance American principles and safeguard American interests overseas. He believed that the United States should show the rest of the world by example by championing democracy and human rights and providing aid to nations that share these ideals (Mungiu-Pippidi, 2020). Wilson's moral diplomacy approach sought to back progressive governments and reject authoritarian regimes to improve democracy and good governance at home. Additionally, the strategy of moral diplomacy had a mixed impact on various nations. In the case of Mexico, his intervention helped end the civil war and establish a more democratic government. This paper will evaluate the success of Wilson's moral diplomacy policy by examining its aim, implementation, and outcome.
In response to the problems faced by imperialist nations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Wilson implemented a program of moral diplomacy. He believed that the United States should champion democracy and human rights and aid nations that shared these ideals. His approach was to oppose authoritarian regimes that violated democratic norms and human rights while supporting progressive democracies that maintained these ideals. Wilson's conviction that democracy was crucial to maintaining world peace and security motivated his approach. To accomplish this goal, he worked to advance the rule of law, free commerce, and effective international governance.
It is debatable whether Wilson's moral diplomacy strategy was successful. On the one hand, the strategy positioned the U.S. as a global defender of democracy and human rights and laid the groundwork for further U.S. intervention in global politics. He thought spreading democratic systems and principles would lead to a safer and more sustainable world that could settle disputes through discussion and communication. Wilson worked to advance the rule of law, free commerce, and effective international governance to accomplish this goal. The use of moral diplomacy was erratic and frequently resulted in military adventurism, which was decried by other countries. In some cases, such as the toppling of democratically elected governments, his approach was criticized for being arbitrary and selective in its execution.
Wilson believed that capitalism and democratic principles would disseminate...