International Environmental Affairs and American Foreign Policy

Paul G. Harris

Abstract

        This book seeks to illuminate the environmental dimensions of American foreign policy. The contributors highlight some of the areas of environmental change in which the United States has been active, explain why the United States has behaved the way it has in dealing with these issues, and evaluate U.S. international environmental policy from practical and normative perspectives.

　

The natural environment is undergoing change, and much of that change is adverse for humans (and for other species). Americans are not immune to these adverse effects. The U.S. government has come to realize that global environmental changes—such as climate change and ozone depletion—can directly affect the interests of the American people. It has also recognized to varying degrees that regional and local environmental problems—such as acid rain, depleted fisheries, and water scarcities—can directly or indirectly affect the economic, political and security interests of the United States, and that environmental destruction and related human suffering abroad can affect the sentiments of Americans. Environmental changes that reach beyond countries' borders can seldom be addressed effectively by any one of them, including the United States. These problems require international and even global action if they are to be reduced and mitigated. The world's governments and other important actors cannot deal effectively with environmental changes if the United States does not play an active role. Because the U.S. economy is so large, its diplomatic influence so great, and its contributions to environmental problems so extensive (in short, because it pollutes so much), the United States must be part of international solutions to environmental change. Thus environmental changes have become a major subject and feature of American foreign policy.

　

Scholars, practitioners and activists will therefore want to understand how and why the United States takes the positions on international environmental changes that it does, how they can be changed, and whether they deserve to be supported or opposed. Many explanations and interpretations of U.S. international environmental policy can be found, as the authors of this book demonstrate. Their research and assessments of U.S. international environmental policy get us closer to understanding not only the underlying dynamics of U.S. policy, but the also highlight the issues and actors toward which concerned individuals and organizations might wish to focus their energies to protect the natural environment, to promote related U.S. interests, and indeed to promote the interests of other countries and peoples abroad. What is more, these chapters tell us much about U.S. foreign policy more generally, thereby helping us to understand the role that the United States plays in other global issues that concern Americans and people everywhere.

　

The short conclusion of this book is that there are many actors and forces shaping U.S. international environmental policy. Arguably the best way to understand these is to look at how different environmental problems are dealt with by the U.S. foreign policy machine, and to undertake such examinations from different theoretical and analytical perspectives. Perhaps foremost among this volume's conclusions is this: The highly pluralistic nature of American foreign policy making results in an inevitably large number of players, ranging from individuals to businesses to non-governmental organizations. The number of local, state (i.e., U.S. "states"), regional, national, and international stakeholders involved in these issues is vast. But the number of actors is not the end of it; the American Constitution created a contentious, many-branched government that does not resolve issues quickly, smoothly or easily. The number and complexity of the problems themselves compound this convoluted democratic system. Thus the foreign policies that emanate from Washington are, almost inevitably, unsatisfactory to all those involved. But understanding the process may help us to raise the level of satisfaction, at least for those on one side of the debate.

　

When evaluating U.S. international environmental policy in this issue area (and perhaps U.S. foreign policy more generally) one ought to bear these issues in mind. Neither the president nor any other single actor can have its way without considering the interests and objectives of other actors. Deals must be made, and a consensus must be forged. This is not easy to do—nor is it always easy to understand.