Throughout history, the United States has remained consistent with its national interests by taking many different foreign policy actions. These actions had immediate and long-term results. Foreign policy is the policy of the United States that defines how we deal economically and politically with other countries. It is decided by Congress, the president and the people. Some of the motivations for United States foreign policy are national security, economics, and idealism. The United States' entry into World War I in 1917 and the escalation of the Vietnam War in 1964 had a considerable impact on the United States. One of the main types of foreign policy in 1964 was containment. The Vietnam War was fought between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The United States supported South Vietnam and other communist countries supported North Vietnam. In 1950, the United States was afraid of the domino effect and did not want to become communist. The United States is currently offering $2.5 billion to help France. United States involvement in Vietnam had begun. In 1969, the United States had 543,000 troops in Vietnam engaged in a war to try to end communist containment. The escalation of the war in Vietnam was a direct result of the United States' failure to make a firm commitment during the early stages of the conflict. In 1954, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu took place. This forced the French to retreat. In 1964, an American ship was attacked by the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin. Congress then published the Tonkin resolution. The Tonkin Resolution granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to aid any country in Southeast Asia. In 1965, America's first combat... middle of paper...... 1919, World War I was officially over. The Treaty of Versailles was signed, blaming Germany for the war. This created new nations and demilitarized Germany. As a result of the treaty, the League of Nations was established. The goals of the League of Nations were to have an international organization, improve the world's quality of life, and avoid war. Foreign relations are very complex and controversial. Everything, such as formal and informal contacts with other nations and social and cultural contacts, must be recognized when developing a foreign policy. The United States has taken many foreign policy actions since 1890. Some have been successful, some not. Internationalization and containment were very important foreign policies, but there were many others. Isolationism and imperialism have also had a huge impact on the way America is today..