American Foreign Policy Creed as a concept and a historical phenomenon: origins and role in the 21st century

The American Foreign Policy Creed is a research concept which originates in the 1930s and is helpful to understand the US foreign policy continuance. At the same time, the Creed is enshrined in Congress and the presidential administrations’ documents, dating back to 1916–1918. Academic literature lacks a commonly understood definition of the Creed, as well as the analysis of the Creed reflection in the official documents and the speeches by the US leadership. The article thus deals with the origins of the Creed concept and analyses its various definitions. Qualitative analysis of written sources in chronological order and with the use of a historical method helps to outline the Creed’s evolution in the 20th century and its role in the 21st century. It is stated that for research purposes the Creed can be understood as a set of core permanent foreign policy ideas, such as pragmatism, messianism, and expansionism. The Creed mobilizes the population, being closely related to the changes in the American international posture. For example, it had been officially declared for the first time when the US unprecedently engaged in global affairs beyond the Western Hemisphere. In the 21st century, the Creed is less cited in official documents and speeches, but it still underlies the US foreign policy.

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