Historians Rank the 10 Best and 10 Worst U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions in U.S. History in a New CFR Survey

“For two-and-a-half centuries, the United States has faced a challenging world. Some of its responses have advanced U.S. interests and values. Others have not,” begins a new interactive webpage from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) that provides the results of a survey of historians ranking the most consequential U.S. foreign policy decisions in American history. 

More than 350 members of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) responded to a survey that asked them to identify and rank what in their judgment were the 10 best and 10 worst foreign policy decisions in U.S. history. Their responses determined the rankings on “The 10 Best and 10 Worst U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions” webpage. SHAFR is the world’s foremost professional association dedicated to the scholarly study of the history of American foreign relations.  

The Marshall Plan, the creation of the United Nations, and the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France topped the list of the 10 best U.S. foreign policy decisions. Leading the 10 worst U.S. foreign policy decisions were the invasion of Iraq, the deployment of combat forces to Vietnam, and the Indian Removal Act.  

Those results and the other survey decisions are explored through written analysis, video, and additional educational resources. 

“History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” said James M. Lindsay, CFR’s Mary and David Boies distinguished senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy and director of the survey and author of the accompanying webpage. “As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the survey and webpage will enable Americans of all ages to learn more about the foreign policy choices past generations made and inform the debate over how the United States should meet the challenges of today.” 

The survey ran from October 5, 2023, through November 5, 2023, and consisted of two questions. First, SHAFR members were asked to select 10 decisions from a list of 120 possible foreign policy decisions that in their “judgment did the most to advance U.S. national interests and values,” with the option to review the full list beforehand. Second, members reviewed the same 120 decisions and selected the 10 that in their “judgment did the most to harm U.S. national interests and values,” again with the opportunity to review the full list. 

“Some survey results will likely fit with expectations, while others will likely surprise and lead to discussion and even debate,” said Christopher Nichols, SHAFR member and the Ohio State University’s Wayne Woodrow Hayes chair in national security studies and professor of history. 

To explore the results and learn more about the survey, visit www.cfr.org/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions. 

To request an interview with Lindsay, please email the Global Communications team at [email protected].