Download Powers of the President in Foreign Policy

Chapter 14
Foreign
&
Defense
Policy
What is Foreign Policy?
 Nation’s external goals and
techniques/strategies used to achieve
them
 American foreign policy includes national
security policy, which is policy designed
to protect the independence and the
political and economic integrity of the
United States
Tools of Foreign Policy
 Diplomacy = process by which states carry
on relations with each other (can also mean
settling conflicts among nations through
peaceful means)
 Economic aid = assistance to other nations
through grants, loans or credits to buy the
assisting nation’s products
 Technical assistance = sending individuals
with expertise in agriculture, engineering or
business to aid other nations
Competing Views of
Foreign Policy
 Moral idealism = views nations as willing
to cooperate and agree on moral standards
for conduct; tied to liberal institutionalism,
international organizations (e.g., UN, WTO)
 Political realism = sees each nation acting
principally in its own interest; tied to
realpolitik; emphasis on anarchy at the
international system level; maximizing
power, influence; use of alliances; arms
control
 US foreign policy consists of both strains
Challenges in World Politics
 Terrorism
 Nuclear proliferation (along with
proliferation of other WMD’s)
 China – increasing power and influence; 21st
Century will be China’s
 Global economy – dependence on oil,
attempts to rationalize world economy
 Regional conflicts – ongoing; persistent
Powers of the President in
Foreign Policy
 Constitutional Powers (expressed and
inherent/implied)
 Solemnly swears to “preserve, protect and
defend the Constitution of the United States”
 Commander in chief of the military
 Make treaties (which are later ratified by the
Senate)
 Executive agreements
 Appoints ambassadors
Powers of the President in
Foreign Policy, (cont.)
 Informal powers
 Access to information
 Legislative leader who can influence Congress’s
foreign policy
 Influence public opinion
 Commit nation morally to a course of action
Other Sources of Foreign
Policy
 Department of State
 Supervises relations with other independent
nations and with multinational organizations
like the United Nations
 Staffs embassies
 Power has declined since World War II
 Has “negative constituents,” Americans who
oppose aspects of U.S. foreign policy
Other Sources of Foreign
Policy (cont.)
 National Security Council
 Advises the president on policies relating to
national security
 Provides continuity from one presidential
administration to the next
Other Sources of Foreign
Policy (cont.)
 Intelligence community = includes
government organizations involved in
information gathering about the capabilities
and intentions of other countries
 Some agencies in the intelligence community
include




the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
National Security Agency (NSA)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Other Sources of Foreign
Policy (cont.)
 Department of Defense
 Largest federal department, created in
1947
 Designed to bring all military activities
under the jurisdiction of a single agency
headed by a civil secretary of defense
 Size of military significantly reduced
 Seen reductions in civilian employees
Other Sources of Foreign
Policy (cont.)
 Congress
 Elite opinion
 Mass opinion
 attentive public = 10-20% of the population that
pays attention to foreign policy issues
 Military-industrial complex = mutually
beneficial relationship between armed forces
and defense contractors; concern of
Eisenhower
Major Foreign Policy
Themes
 “Negative” foreign policy during 1700 and 1800’s
(Isolationism)
 Mistrust of Europe
 Militarily weak
 Shaped by the Monroe Doctrine (no new European colonies
in the Western Hemisphere; no European intervention; no
US intervention in European affairs)
 Spanish–American War and World War I
 Seen as temporary entanglements
 Lasted from 1898-1918
 Followed by a resurgence of isolationism
Major Foreign Policy
Themes, (cont.)
 Era of Internationalism
 Began with bombing of Pearl Harbor and U.S.
entry into World War II
 Resulted in significant increases in defense
spending
 America emerged from World War II with a
strengthened economy
 America was first nuclear superpower
The Cold War
 = Ideological, political, and economic impasse
that existed between the U.S. and the USSR
following the end of their WWII alliance
 U.S. foreign policy dominated by containment, the
idea of limiting Communist power to its (then)
existing countries (Truman doctrine)
 Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) was the closest the
superpowers came to direct confrontation
 Détente between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
occurred in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s
The Cold War
(cont.)
 During the 1980’s, the Reagan administration
lobbied for the development of the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI or “Star Wars”), and
also negotiated significant arms control
treaties
 End of Communist rule in eastern Europe in
1989
 Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991
Discussion questions
 Was the invasion of Iraq justified?
 What are the most significant foreign policy
challenges facing the world today?
 What is the best way to combat terrorism?
 Does the executive branch have too much
power in determining foreign and military
policy?
 Why is the “attentive public” so small in the
United States?
Hot Links to Selected
Internet Resources:
 Book’s Companion Site:
http://politicalscience.wadsworth.com/schmidt
brief2004
 Wadsworth’s Political Science Site:
http://politicalscience.wadsworth.com
 U.S. Department of State:
http://www.state.gov
 The Brookings Institution:
http://www.brook.edu
 Central Intelligence Agency:
http://www.cia.gov