Ideological Factors In American Foreign Policy Research

As one of the factors affecting foreign policy, ideology plays a special and subtle role in foreign policy making. Considering that America is such a nation with its foreign policy greatly affected by ideology, this paper is then devoting to a historical analysis of ideology in American foreign policy. It is America's unique history that has shaped distinctive American ideology and its extraordinary status in American foreign policy. The thesis, based on the confirmation and analysis of the basic connotation of ideology, analize the structure and three characteristics of the ideology . In conclusion, the paper analyzes in detail all kinds of ideology's position and function performing on nation foreign policy. The structure of ideology is classified three levels of worldview,the standard of value,concrete significance ideology. Ideology has the features including class nature and benefit quality, communitive and relative independence quality, the succession and the activity characteristic. On one hand ,it is USA foreign policy' ideas, one of goals , basis of nation benefit .On the other hand it is the important tool of executing foreign policy . Ideology has the important and deep influences on foreign policies by all kinds of forms and ways. Secondly, the paper analyze USA foreign policy changing according to time , and emphasizes that American ideology is intervening and conducting. In the end, the paper also deals with several new features concerning the ideology's long-term influence on American foreign policy.