Is American foreign policy today dominated by national self-interest or does it have a moral element at its core?

The debate between the realist and idealist schools of international relations is definitely not a unique one to American politics in relation to foreign policy, however this divide has often been most clearly illustrated in the running of American foreign policy.<Tab/> Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan are often viewed as the most striking examples of idealism in foreign policy, they have seen America's role as a moral crusader …

…the Afghans in another terrible situation but because of American interests there was no attempts at building a democracy, this shows all the hallmarks of the realist approach. This example is from a time where a hard-line realist is in office yet there are moral elements in the cause of action. It just shows how over the course of the relatively young country's political development, the two separate theories of international relations have become inseparable.