How come our Foreign policy has gone from "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick"?

Question

How come our Foreign policy has gone from "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" to "Yell as loud as you can and hit anyone that disagrees with you with that Stick"?

I am not trying to be a "Blame America First" person, but many of our foreign relations problems come from our own aggressive Policies, so why did we change from Teddy's "Speak Softly" Philosophy?

Note: I am not an isolationist, just not an interventionist.

Answer 1

AS TISHMIZZ SAID AND IN A WORD --------" NECESSITY "

Answer 2

Because, not only did we elect, but we re-elected a guy that has a 'smack it with a stick' mentality. When your foreign policy is suspect everyone, demonize those that you don't trust and above all, talk to no one, what can you really expect?

Interesting how Law Student has re-written history. In the weeks prior to the Iraqi invasion Saddam was becoming more cooperative and was allowing UN inspectors in to the locations they wanted to see and the UN was satisfied with his level of cooperation. however, this didn't phase GWB,  he just declared that we couldn't trust him and invaded in defiance of the UN and most of the civilized world as well as not having Congress's backing, that came after the fact.

Answer 3

You can thank the neocons for that one.

Answer 4

Because its profitable for defense contractors and other companies.

Tish lay off the fox news.

Answer 5

It hasn't.  You sure sound like a blame-America-first person.  Try blaming the terrorist and terrorist regimes once in a while.

Answer 6

All things considered, especially our past foreign policy, the current policy is rather mild and benevolent.  Admitting that we have invaded two sovereign nations in the last 8 years, many of the post WW2 reforms remain in place.

We still support the World Bank and the IMF which work for the development of infrastructure in third world nations.  Additionally, whether you agree or not, remember the President invaded Afgahnistan with international support and was (ostensibly) enforcing a UN Security Resolution when invading Iraq.

Moreover, foreign aid is rising to new highs, the US Navy was performing humanitarian aid missions in Myanmar, and also did so during the big tsunami.  The President has also offered the services of the United States as a mediator for Israel-Middle East issues, following in the steps of mediators (or attempted mediators) like Clinton, Carter, Nixon, T.R., etc.  The President has also put forth a similar number of peaceful diplomacy efforts including more trade treaties and the like.  The President has also brought the "Special Relationship" with the UK to new heights, even bridging starkly different domestic policies from liberal governments like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, to cooperate on international issues.

The EU and the US have also recently been renegotiating security and agriculture policy.  On whole, you must forgive me, but I fail to understand the "shift" in policy you describe, this president seems to be following quite closely to the foreign policy of his predecessors.