After the end of World War II, President Truman declared that all nations had the right to self-determination. Hindsight shows that this statement was either ignored or was only half-hearted to begin with. Multiple mistakes made throughout the next century show that American political forces sought world domination through military action and economic subversion. The Red Scare would dominate foreign policy as the United States expanded its power and influence in a policy of "containment" to ensure the success of capitalism and the demise of communism. The sad thing is that so little thought seems to have been given to the lives of citizens around the world who would be affected by this ideology. In its attempts to support democracy and freedom, the United States seems to have forgotten the concept of "of the people, by the people and for the people" and replaced it with "of America, by America and for America.” up to and including the Vietnam War, constitutes one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes of the United States. At the end of World War II, President Truman called for self-determination for all people. This did not apply to French-controlled Indochina. After the defeat of the Japanese and the creation of a power vacuum in the region, Ho Chi Minh declared the nation the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Citing the American Declaration of Independence, calling for the equality of all men, Ho Chi Minh set out to unify the country under the control of Vietnam. The USA, USSR and UK wanted to keep the region under French control and military assets and funds were sent to maintain the area. France finally launched a campaign against nationalist guerrillas receiving 80% of its funding from the United States to...... middle of paper ...... filled with another minimum it finds itself in a fight mortal. America's failure to enforce self-determination for all nations has caused the United States to create many enemies around the world and has done more harm than good in our national security goal. Even though we do not feel a great threat from any one nation, the extremists who have appeared all over the world, especially in the Middle East, have shown this nation how vulnerable we are. The multiple embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, and the 9/11 attacks are just the radicalism we have created in our effort to create "pro-American" powers. In my opinion, we need to step down from this high pedestal and start acting like a partner in world affairs rather than a puppeteer. Works Cited McKay, John p. et, al, A History of World Societies, 8th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008