The Irish Catholic President: John F. Kennedy's Identity in Foreign Policy

Abstract

Foreign policy is not made in a vacuum. It is shaped—sometimes subtly, sometimes fundamentally—by the identity of those who wield power. This thesis explores how one of the most iconic figures in American history made sense of international conflict through the lens of a dualistic identity. Born into a family of privilege, yet shaped by a heritage of exclusion, John F. Kennedy carried with him the dual weight of Irish Catholicism and American exceptionalism. At the height of the Cold War, he governed not from a detached realist position, but through a worldview molded by moral conviction, contradiction, and lived experience. This study does not argue that identity alone drove policy, but that in moments of ambiguity—where no clear answer prevailed—identity revealed itself in different ways. Using an original framework that categorizes identity’s role as a policy driver, constraint, and rhetorical tool, the paper offers a new lens for understanding how personal identity can interact with the strategic imperatives of international leadership. It asks: How did a president defined by his Irish Catholic identity interpret and respond to the challenges of Cold War diplomacy?