Addresses provide

The Presidential inaugural addresses provide many illustrative examples of disarmament, globalization, and non-interventionism. Disarmament refers to the reduction or elimination of a country’s weapons. Generally, this term is used in reference to weapons of mass destruction (nuclear weapons for example). Disarmament agreements typically contain provisions for inspection and verification to determine whether or not the weapons in question have been eliminated. Since the beginning of the Cold War, disarmament has been focused on as a way to achieve peace and security on an international level.

The topic of disarmament arises in the inaugural addresses of Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. Nixon remarks that the country will “work for the limitation of nuclear arms. ” Carter’s reference to disarmament comes in the following text: “We pledge perseverance and wisdom in our efforts to limit the world’s armament […] And will well move this year a step toward ultimate goal – the elimination of all nuclear weapons from this earth. ” Reagan says, “We are not just discussing limits on a further increase of nuclear weapons. We seek, instead, to reduce their number. We seek the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth.

” All three of these inaugural addresses bear witness to different stages of Cold War talks. The reference to nuclear disarmament in Nixon’s text address of 1973 must be seen in the context of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I), which he began with the Soviet Union in November 1969. This treaty, signed on May 1972, placed limitations on nuclear weapons. Carter’s remarks of 1977 come from a time when SALT I was nearing its end and talks with the Soviet Union were not progressing as hoped. In his inaugural address, he stresses America’s commitment to disarmament.

Reagan’s inaugural address of 1985 came at a time when relations with the Soviet Union had been deteriorating because both sides were violating SALT II and because the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The term globalization refers to the world-wide linkage of local and regional cultures. These cultures are linked economically through trade and technology. While this linkage has increased trade and helped smaller economies, the fear with globalization is that the larger more powerful societies will overwhelm smaller ones, erasing valuable cultural differences. George H. W.

Bush alludes to globalization in his address in 1989. He notes that “men and women of the world move toward free markets through the door to prosperity. ” As globalization is frequently associated with free trade and capitalism, this remark should be read as his support of globalization efforts that were beginning as the Cold War ended. Clinton’s 1993 inaugural address contains a much clearer reference to globalization: “There is no longer a clear division between what is foreign and what is domestic – the world economy, the world environment, the world AIDS crisis, the world arms race: they affect us all.

” This move to a more direct reference to globalization reflects the changing state of the economic world following the end of the Cold War. The term non-interventionism refers to the idea that countries should not engage in wars that are not directly aimed at defending a country’s territory. Each country should have the right to its own particular style of government. Non-interventionists, however, do actively seek out relationship with other countries for diplomatic or economic purposes.

Nixon’s address of 1973 contains a reference to non-interventionist ideas: “The time has passed when America will make every other nation’s conflict our own […], or presume to tell the people of other nations how to manage their own affairs. ” This quote emphasizes Nixon’s intention to stay out of the internal workings of foreign governments. This statement is quite ironic given that Nixon was currently working to sway the Chilean government to fall in line with U. S. policy. References The only source used for the preparation of this document was the given texts of the inaugural addresses.

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