copyright atomic dog publishing, 2006 chapter 18 presidential power and foreign policy lecture 14

Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006

Chapter 18

Presidential Power and Foreign Policy

Lecture 14


Korean Political Information

• “Lame Duck” in Korean-

• 재선 불출마 · 낙선으로 퇴임을 눈 앞에 둔 선거직 관리 [ 대통령 , 의원 등 ]

• Korea Gallup's website, http://www.gallup.co.kr/. Also, the East Asian Institute (http://eai.or.kr) regularly conducts interesting public surveys.


Presidential Discretionary Powers• Executive orders to the bureaucracy. May be challenged in

Congress but do not require prior approval. Used more frequently in recent years.

Example: “Gag rule” prohibits providing information on abortion by international family planning agencies

• Signing statements: message given when the president signs a Congressional bill into law. Expresses his own interpretation of the bill.

Example: President Bush signed McCain bill against use of torture but stated that he may permit torture if national security is at stake.

• International executive agreements: unlike treaties, do not require approval of 2/3 of Senate,

Examples: Yalta, Potsdam, SALT I


1798–1941 The Isolationist Era

1942–1989 The Era of Globalism

1990–2001 Post-Cold War

2001- War against terrorism

U.S. Foreign Policy


Isolationism

A foreign policy built on the principle of avoiding formal

military and political alliances with other countries.

18-1a The Isolationist Era


The Monroe Doctrine

A basic principle of U.S. foreign policy that dates back to a warning President James Monroe issued in

1823: the United States would resist any European efforts to intervene in the affairs of the

Western Hemisphere.


Globalism

The idea that the United States should be prepared to use

military force around the globe to defend its political and economic

interests.

18-1b The Global Era


A policy, announced by President Truman in 1947, that the United States would oppose communist attempts to overthrow or conquer

non-communist countries.

Truman Doctrine


Cold War Military Alliances


A bedrock principle of U.S. foreign policy from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Efforts to to prevent communist countries, especially the Soviet

Union, from expanding the territory they controlled.

Examples: Greece, Korea, Germany, Viet Nam, Cuba

Containment


A policy the Nixon administration followed to

develop more cordial relations with the Soviet Union.

Detente


American Public

Congress

Foreign Policy Bureaucracies

White House Staff

President


Foreign Policy Power


• Created in 1947

• Members include the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the director of the CIA, and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• The staff is led by the National Security Advisor

National Security Council (NSC)


18-3b The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy

Defense Department

State Department

CIA

NSC


• Extent of influence of a group depends on:- External factors- Group

characteristics- Opposition groups

• Foreign policy does not have much electoral influence

• Policy makers often ignore public opinion

• Public often lacks knowledge

• Public is often apathetic

18-3b The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy


Bureaucratic Failure: The Bay of Pigs, Cuba, 1961

• Military chiefs promised a quick low-cost victory to drive Communists out of Cuba

• Inexperienced President Kennedy did not challenge their assessments

• Intelligence failure: a popular uprising of Cubans against Castro was expected, but most Cubans supported Castro

• Military disaster led to Kennedy public apology

• Castro is still in power


Bureaucratic Success? The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1963

• Kennedy assembled a broad range of expert advisors

• Challenge and dissent was encouraged to avoid “groupthink” – social pressure to agree

• Multiple sources of intelligence were used

• Outreach to disparate groups within the Soviet Union to avoid war

• Cautious approach: blockade not invasion, to keep options open

• Bargain with USSR: Castro would stay in power but nuclear missiles would be withdrawn from both Cuba and Turkey


• The Constitution assigns Congress considerable influence in foreign policy, including the power to declare war

• During the 1950s and 1960s Congress typically deferred to the Executive Branch

• During 1970s and 1980s Congressional activism in foreign policy grew

• Congressional deference to President increased after 9/11 attacks

18-3c Congress


War Powers Act of 1973

• Attempt by Congress to restrain Presidential activism in foreign policy

• Reaction to problems of the war in Viet Nam: the Tonkin Gulf resolution, Nixon’s secret bombing of Laos and Cambodia

• Requires Congress to approve any American use of troops abroad within 60-90 days

• Requires detailed reporting to Congress of foreign policy actions by the President

• Passed over Nixon’s veto; opposed by every president since Jimmy Carter (1977-) regardless of political party


Limits on Foreign Policy Role of Congress

• Unable to act swiftly in an emergency

• Lack of access to current intelligence (the president’s daily intelligence briefing is highly classified)

• Partisan conflicts over foreign policy goals

• Both parties tend to support the president after military action is initiated

• Politically, it is difficult to withhold funds from the military in order to stop presidential foreign actions


• Disagreements about the goals and strategies of American foreign policy

• A changing foreign policy agenda

• Unilateral versus multilateral action: Role of the United Nations, European Union, G-8, etc.

• Bush’s doctrine of preemptive war

Future Challenges to U.S. Foreign Policy


The preemptive war debate

• It would violate the traditional American “no first strike” principle

• It requires accurate intelligence as to enemy capabilities and intentions

Intelligence failures: Clinton bombing of the factory in Sudan. No WMDs found in Iraq

• It would require unilateral action by the US

• It could prevent a terrorist or nuclear attack

• It would greatly expand presidential power


The United States will face problems in:

• Nuclear proliferation

• Military interventions

• Economic policy

• Globalization

• Human rights

• High cost of defense

Potential Problems in U.S. Foreign Policy

• Multilateral versus unilateral action

• Homeland security


Globalization is the process by which growing economic relations and

technological change make countries increasingly interdependent.

New problems brought on by globalization:

• The drug trade

• Acid rain

• Labor

Globalization

• Biodiversity

• Global warming

• Use of resources


18-4c Unilateralism v. Multilateralism

Unilateralism

The tendency of the United States to act

alone in foreign affairs without

consulting other countries.

Multilateralism

An approach in which two or more

countries cooperate for the purpose of

solving some common problem.


Benefits of Multilateralism

• Cost of military actions or sanctions are shared

• Sharing of intelligence

• US is less likely to become the focus of opposition

• Aggressive actions by any one country are likely to be constrained or delayed

• Examples: Korea 1950-1953, Iraq 1990-91


Costs of Multilateralism

• Policies and outcomes may not serve the US national interest

• Delay in negotiating policy actions

• US troops could be subject to foreign or UN commanders

• US military secrets could be exposed

copyright atomic dog publishing, 2006 chapter 18 presidential power and foreign policy lecture 14

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