The purpose of this study is to provide an explanation of the causes postwar U.S. interventions. For that purpose, the study evaluates theories of strategic and economic interests and hypotheses regarding domestic factors of foreign policy. Since U.S. interventions were examined from three different perspectives (i.e., strategic, economic, and domestic), three groups of hypotheses are formulated. The dependent variable intervention is operationalized as an ordinal variable which has four ordered categories (i.e., no intervention, non-military intervention, indirect military intervention, and direct military intervention). Soviet intervention, intervention by a Soviet ally, communist presence, military assistance, and geographic distance are identified as strategic factors which account for U.S. intervention; imports, exports, and foreign investment as economic factors; and the Vietnam syndrome, electoral cycle, and misery index as domestic factors. Cases are Third World internal wars which occurred during the period 1945-89. To estimate the relative impact of each explanatory variable on U.S intervention, an ordered probit model is used. / It is found that the U.S. is more likely to intervene if there is an intervention by a Soviet ally or a communist presence. Soviet intervention, U.S. military assistance to the country, and geographic distance of the country from the U.S., however, have little impact on U.S. intervention. None of the economic interest variables is an important determinant of U.S. intervention while all the domestic variables have a sizable impact on U.S. intervention. However, it was found that the hypotheses concerning domestic factors supported in the literature of war or use of force are not supported when they are tested in the context of U.S. interventions in Third World internal wars. The U.S. tended to intervene in more wars which occurred after the Vietnam War. It is less likely to intervene in an election year and when its economy is worsening. To sum up, if intervention by a Soviet ally, communist presence, and the Vietnam syndrome are the factors which motivated U.S. intervention, presidential elections and the misery index are factors which discouraged U.S. intervention. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2726. / Major Professor: James Lee Ray. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76937 |
| Contributors | Yoon, Mi Yung., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 247 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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