| Abstract [eng] |
This master‘s thesis – “The Construction of USA Roles in National Security Strategies: Period After the Cold War” – questions what kinds of roles do the USA have in the world. The object of this work is the National Security Strategies of the United States of America after the Cold War. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze the roles’ construction of the US, which are defined in the National Security Strategies. The main tasks were to analyze the role theory of international relations in the context of the US. Another task – to examine roles of the US in the National Security Strategies published after the Cold War. The main analysis was based on the construction of the roles: which of them repeats through the Strategies and how do they change during the years. The main outcome of this work is the definitions of the main roles of the US in the world. This thesis has three main chapters: at first, it gives structured analysis of role theory, then it explains the connection between role and identity through national interests and then it gives an analysis of National Security Strategies. Foreign policy of a state defines norms, which depends on national identity and the global context – neighboring countries, regions, subregions and global processes. Foreign policy is one of the main practices to construct and reveal the role of a state. The main document to define the US’ vision of the state and connections with the world is National Security Strategy. This document highlights foreign policy’s guidelines, main interests of a state, liabilities and the capacity of the security of the state. The exceptionalism of the US is what theorists define while talking about power distribution and roles in the world. The political decisions of the US have influence on the state itself and, more importantly, the remaining world. The national interests and actions form the roles of the US. The state links it with its promises and actions. That is why in the NSS you can find more about “outside” world, interactions between states and a vision of a global world. The analysis of the NSS reveals five roles of the US in the world: world leader, an example to the world, world policeman, world rescuer and mediator. They were the most repeated roles of the US. It is clear, that all roles of the US highlight its pursuit of authority and being the center of the world. As role theory states, role is not just how an “ego” sees itself, but also the expectations of the “alter” to an “ego”. Being a mediator, the US has not only have the capacity of being one, but also other countries expect her to be one. Without doubt the salient role of the US is the one as a world leader. It is seen from the military capacity and, most of all, from the fact that interests of the US are equated to the interests of the whole world. Keeping this role the US can reach its national interests’ implementation while having influence on other sates. As an “example to the world”, the US creates more roles to itself. This way the US becomes not only it, but also the one that other countries tend to seek for help or authority. As role theory states, “the other” assigns its expectations to the US, this is how the role forms. This analysis revealed that although the US defines itself as a global leader and world policeman, it acts according to the interests of itself. American citizens can be safe in the world, that is guarded. Furthermore, as a mediator, the US gets even more benefits. This thesis adds to analysis of the US roles a broader view, because it takes a long period of time – almost 40 years. It fills the hole in researchers of the US roles with original names of the roles. The further works could be based on a deeper analysis of roles of the US – how do they apply to the real actions of the state. In other words, does the theory meet the practice. |
