Focusing on a number of seminal world events, this issue of eJournal USA: Foreign Policy Agenda Policy Agenda offers a framework for offers a framework for examining how U.S. foreign relations have evolved over the past century, influenced by the legacy of America’s founding ideals of protecting individual rights and freedom. Like other countries operating on the global stage, the United States has both played an active role in and been acted upon by international events—and occasionally forced into a role not of its own choosing. The Editors recognize that any selection of “major events” will ultimately be arbitrary, but it is our hope that those in this journal will provide insight into the American character and stimulate dialogue among international audiences. Many of these past occurrences have been significant in shaping the current U.S. response to the crises, opportunities, and complex trade-offs of international relations. One enduring political dynamic for the United States, as for most nations, is the desire to live in a free society, secure and at peace, and working in harmony with allies and trading partners toward prosperity. But America also comes to foreign policy with a unique blend of idealism and realism that combines generosity with self-interest, follows defensive wars with economic recovery programs, builds institutions that are then turned over to others, and seeks to help others find their own way toward democrac