The term foreign policy covers a broad range of official activities by a country’s government that are carried out abroad. It can refer to diplomatic relations, negotiating trade agreements, providing humanitarian aid, and even military intervention in armed conflict. The practice of forming an international order that promotes democracy, human rights and free enterprise is a key aspect of foreign policy. It is a goal that many great leaders, such as General George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower, have both sought to accomplish as both presidents and generals.
Most Americans agree that the United States should be active in world affairs. But a partisan divide exists over what issues are most important and how America should engage the world.
On the one hand, Americans are more likely than in the past to say that addressing global climate change should be a top priority of the United States. They are also more likely to think that supporting Ukraine and strengthening NATO should be a major focus of American policy. Meanwhile, fewer Americans see limiting the power and influence of Russia or China as a top priority for US policy.
Those concerns may explain why more Americans see promoting democracy and defending human rights as top priorities of the United States. They are also more willing to accept that the United States should spend hundreds of billions each year on foreign aid, helping countries modernize and reducing dependence on imported goods like food and technology.