Final answer:
Eisenhower's foreign policy differed from Truman's in that while still confronting the spread of communism through brinkmanship, he was more inclined to use nuclear deterrence and economic aid rather than committing troops to foreign conflicts, focusing on diplomatic solutions and preventing an increase in conventional military spending.
Step-by-step explanation:
The foreign policy approach of President Dwight D. Eisenhower differed from that of his predecessor, Harry Truman, in several ways. While Truman had advocated for the policy of containment against the expansion of Soviet influence, Eisenhower and his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, introduced a policy known as brinkmanship. This policy suggested that the United States should go to the brink of war to prevent the spread of communism and persuade adversaries to back down.
However, despite this more aggressive stance on potential confrontation, Eisenhower was generally reluctant to commit American troops to foreign conflicts unless necessary. His administration focused on nuclear deterrence and strategic use of economic aid over interventionist warfare, thereby not aggressively increasing military spending or troop numbers for conventional forces.
Eisenhower's New Look policy expanded the nuclear arsenal but aimed to avoid the expansion of the defense budget for conventional military forces. During crises like the aggression in Indochina, the Hungarian Revolution, and the Suez Canal crisis, Eisenhower showed restraint and a preference for diplomatic solutions over military interventions, contrary to an interventionist foreign policy.