ABSTRACT
This chapter delves into the powerful constitutive effects of US foreign policy in East Asia after 9/11, and argues that the so-called Bush Doctrine set the stage for how the War on Terror itself continues to operate as a dominant security narrative in the region. It explores the various different ways to define and approach “foreign policy,” ultimately arguing for a critical constructivist analysis of foreign policy as informed by Campbell’s persuasive call to reorient our understanding of it. Foreign policies are not merely expressions of a state’s interests. They also construct and project an image of a state’s identity and disposition towards issues and actors – of what a state’s values and motivations might be in pursuit of those interests. Due to the significant influence of US policies in shaping world politics, American foreign policy narratives are uniquely positioned in terms of their impact and effects on the rest of the world.
