The United States of America's foreign policy has mirrored its influence and power within the international community. As a small and weak nation, America was forced to employ a regional foreign policy, limited to the North American continent. But as the U.S. grew into a powerful industrialized nation, its foreign policy began to change to include more international issues. Finally, as a result of the need for the United States to restore peace in the world, America emerged as a global superpower to balance the threat from the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the United States emerged as the sole remaining superpower with the ability to project power anywhere on the planet.

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