--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The central aim of American foreign…" description: "\"The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to domina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/john-mearsheimer-3817_aim_the-central-aim-of-american-foreign-poli_143709.jpg" --- # The central aim of American foreign policy has… ![“The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to dominate Europe or Northeast Asia. The United States has not wanted a peer competitor.” quote by John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/john-mearsheimer-3817_aim_the-central-aim-of-american-foreign-poli_143709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/john-mearsheimer-3817_aim_the-central-aim-of-american-foreign-poli_143709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/john-mearsheimer-3817_aim_the-central-aim-of-american-foreign-poli_143709.jpg) > “The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to dominate Europe or Northeast Asia. The United States has not wanted a peer competitor.” [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. U.S. foreign policy aims to dominate its hemisphere and prevent rival powers from controlling key regions. **In simple terms:** America seeks regional dominance and blocks peers. Key Takeaway Understand strategic motives. Themes foreign policy geopolitics hegemony power balance Mood analytical critical Type theoretical political When to use this quote - diplomacy - military strategy - regional conflicts Key Concepts political science international relations Questions to Reflect On - What drives this dominance? - Is it sustainable long‑term? A Different Perspective Policy can ignore moral concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-foreign-1616296/) [Dominate Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominate-europe-1616297/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Hemisphere Permitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hemisphere-permitting-1616295/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Western Hemisphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-hemisphere-373212/) ## Related quotes > [It is one of history's most mocking ironies that the German customs union, which set out to dominate Europe and conquer Britain in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/it-is-one-of-history-s-most-mocking-ironies-that-the-german-customs/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [Well, human security is a concept that I am very committed to enshrining in American foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/well-human-security-is-a-concept-that-i-am-very-committed-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Frankly, I do not know how to effect a permanency in American foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/frankly-i-do-not-know-how-to-effect-a-permanency-in-american-foreign/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [American foreign policy has been - and must continue to be - based on unequivocal support for Israel's right to exist and to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-berman/american-foreign-policy-has-been-and-must-continue-to-be-based-on/) [Howard Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-berman/) > [We need American foreign policy that tells the world very clearly that it is bad to be our enemy and good to be our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-need-american-foreign-policy-that-tells-the-world-very-clearly/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Let me remind you all that the first task of American foreign policy is to reduce threats to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mandelbaum/let-me-remind-you-all-that-the-first-task-of-american-foreign-policy/) [Michael Mandelbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mandelbaum/) > [America is a unique place. The value part of American foreign policy is something I think is very laudable, but it is uniquely American.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oren/america-is-a-unique-place-the-value-part-of-american-foreign-policy/) [Michael Oren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oren/) > [American foreign policy is not understood by the vast majority of American people. 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Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/american-foreign-policy-is-now-one-huge-big-mystery-simply-put-the/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [With regards to American foreign policy all across the globe, it is important for us to be operating from positions of strength, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-zeldin/with-regards-to-american-foreign-policy-all-across-the-globe-it-is/) [Lee Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-zeldin/) > [No matter what people may think about American foreign policy, there is broad and overwhelming interest in engaging with the United States on issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rhodes/no-matter-what-people-may-think-about-american-foreign-policy-there/) [Ben Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rhodes/) > [If America was trying to keep the bubonic plague out of its hemisphere, Canadians would import it just to show their independence of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-amiel/if-america-was-trying-to-keep-the-bubonic-plague-out-of-its/) [Barbara Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-amiel/) > [“The family landed in the Western Hemisphere in the person of Roger Blake Wolfe, who arrived with a price on his head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-family-landed-in-the-western-hemisphere-in-the-person-of-roger/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) ## More by John Mearsheimer > [Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have made it clear that they would not stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/since-the-mid-1990s-russian-leaders-have-adamantly-opposed-nato/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Decapitation is a fanciful strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/decapitation-is-a-fanciful-strategy/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Great powers react harshly when distant rivals project military power into their neighborhood, much less attempt to make a country on their border an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/great-powers-react-harshly-when-distant-rivals-project-military-power/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [I hate sleeping in the woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/i-hate-sleeping-in-the-woods/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [When the United States worked to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, we went to enormous lengths to get as many countries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/when-the-united-states-worked-to-contain-the-soviet-union-during-the/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Nuclear weapons are the ideal middle-class weapons for Americans. They provide massive amounts of deterrence on the cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/nuclear-weapons-are-the-ideal-middle-class-weapons-for-americans-they/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [States have two kinds of power: latent power and military power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/states-have-two-kinds-of-power-latent-power-and-military-power/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Erosion of sovereignty is one more reason a powerful state with a liberal foreign policy ends up fighting never ending wars and fostering militarism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/erosion-of-sovereignty-is-one-more-reason-a-powerful-state-with-a/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/simply-put-the-most-powerful-state-is-the-one-that-prevails-in-a/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [What disappoints me about Obama is that, when he came into office, he gave the impression he was going to reduce America's global commitments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/what-disappoints-me-about-obama-is-that-when-he-came-into-office-he/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The question of whether or not the United States or any other great power should expand, should pursue regional hegemony, or pursue global hegemony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-question-of-whether-or-not-the-united-states-or-any-other-great/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The more closely any ism accords with human nature, the more relevance it will have in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-more-closely-any-ism-accords-with-human-nature-the-more-relevance/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Offensive realism predicts that the United States will send its army across the Atlantic when there is a potential hegemon in Europe that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/offensive-realism-predicts-that-the-united-states-will-send-its-army/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Georgia and Ukraine are not just states in Russia's neighborhood; they are on its doorstep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/georgia-and-ukraine-are-not-just-states-in-russia-s-neighborhood-they/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) [Explore all 121 John Mearsheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to dominate Europe or Northeast Asia. 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