American exceptionalism and its influence on American foreign policy

The thesis aims to understand what the idea of American exceptionalism consists of and how it can manifest itself as an influential factor in American foreign policy. Adopting a constructivist perspective that explores American exceptionalism as a fundamental aspect of American national identity, the thesis also seeks to show how the idea, one loaded with symbolic-religious connotations, may end up compromising the ability of foreign policy makers to take judicious decisions, and how it can end up serving as a rhetorical instrument to gather domestic support for controversial international ventures. The administration of George W. Bush is used to exemplify these phenomena. The thesis argues that it would be of greater benefit to the United States if the idea could be contextualized historically and critically in order to avoid detrimental attempts to instrumentalize it.