The paper argues that United States (US) post-war strategy to dominate and interfere in the internal affairs of other countries has continued to be the core of its foreign policy today. While this is camouflaged with euphemisms like providing leadership for expansion of humanitarian values, national interest has been the foundation of its foreign policy. Wars were fought and political settlements were made in accordance with pragmatic principles of international relations. After the destruction of the World Trade Centre, USA unilaterally decided to attack Iraq and forge ties with several countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in tune with its `global grand strategy'. Strategic objectives define commercial tie-ups, technology transfer, joint military exercises, space and high-tech cooperation with India. The moral bases of its values affirmed in public diplomacy are apparently in conflict with its national interest. However, reiterating these values has become convenient especially after the economic integration roped in many countries into the American fold. Concomitantly, reference to its foreign policy has become imperative for almost all countries in the world including those who were in the former Soviet Union. But in practice, the rules and norms attached by the US to such integration are interventionist, through soft and hard power approaches. The Obama Administration will not deviate from the `pragmatic internationalism' put in place by his predecessor with necessary changes in order to maintain its primacy. That is the bottom line.

The United States Public Diplomacy has three areas of concern: One, continue to offer people across the world a positive vision of hope that is rooted in its deepest values, belief in justice, opportunity, respect for all; two, isolate and marginalise the violent extremists who threaten the civilised world and confront their ideology of tyranny and hate; and three, foster a sense of common values between Americans and people of different countries and cultures across the world. Public diplomacy is people-centric based on the presumption that people of other countries share the culture and faith of the American people. But governments in other countries pursue policies not necessarily confirming to its culture and faith. Therefore, people-centric approach might ease tension, facilitate faster integration with its culture and stabilise its primacy as a global leader.

The moral bases of its values affirmed in public diplomacy are apparently in conflict with its national interest. These values are indispensable for they have a distinct identity of primacy. Promotion of democracy is pursued as one of the principles and defended as duty. Its leadership role envisages humanitarian values and emphasises cosmopolitan worldview. Reiterating these values has become convenient after the economic integration process expanded by linking a number of countries in the world with its economy. Concomitantly, reference to its foreign policy has become imperative for almost all countries in the world including those who were in the former Soviet Union. But in practice, the rules and norms attached to such integration do not underpin humanitarian values. Rather, it is interventionist, through soft and hard power approaches. Irrespective of ideological bases of political leadership and their mode of expression, the US foreign policy is fundamentally based on its national interest. The National Security Strategy (NSS) announced in 2002, states that the US would not allow a "peer competitor to its military power to emerge". Not only in the military sphere, the US is averse to emergence of competitors in any respect which will affect its primacy and global leadership. These contradictions generate scholarly interest in understanding the objectives underlying its claim to use diplomacy as a tool to achieve humanitarian ends. The paper highlights the principles and practical approaches to its foreign policy to intensify global influence.

Governance And Public Policy Journal, Foreign Policies, Economic Integration, Global Grand Strategy, Pragmatic Internationalism, Public Diplomacy, National Security Strategy, International Monetary Fund, IMF, General Agreement on Trade and Tariff, GATT, Macroeconomic Policies, Economic Control, International Organisations.