Foreign Policy Chapter 20 Lecture 10 Jaymie Ticknor Political Science 1050 Sect 002 29 April and 1 May 2014 Foreign Policy conduct of relations among nation states the most important foreign policy issues involve war and peace it also involves economic trade among nations and other types of interactions Need for Fast Action differences between foreign and domestic policies foreign policy decisions often require rapid decisive action presidents are given a lot of discretion in how and whether they choose to deploy troops sometimes done without the approval of Congress Voters Focus on Presidents voters expect the president to act decisively in areas of foreign affairs as commander and chief president has authority to deploy troops support the president in crisis situations Rally round the flag effect tendency for the public to back presidents in moments of crisis if conflicts drag on public support may fade Congress Retains the Power to Declare War U S Constitution grants Congress sole authority to declare war tends to take a more passive role in foreign affairs after Vietnam Congress has played a more assertive foreign policy role president did more than necessary in getting more involved with Vietnam The War Powers Act 1973 congressional resolution requiring the president to notify Congress formally upon deploying U S troops President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops troops must be withdrawn unless Congress approves the presidential decision within 60 days if not within 60 days then troops must be withdrawn within 30 days Most presidents have ignored the resolution argued to be unconstitutional Congress Confirms Nominees for Foreign Policy Positions Advise and consent presidential nominees must be confirmed by Senate Confirmation hearings often partisan in nature Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Although rare nominations have been rejected Congress Provides Advice and Consent on International Treaties Treaties formal agreements between nations Senate has constitutional power to confirm treaties 2010 Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact with Russia Partisan division over treaty passed but only with 13 Republicans Presidents and Executive Agreements Executive Agreements informal agreements between nations does not require congressional approval still subject to funding controls North American Free Trade Agreement 1994 trade agreement between U S Canada and Mexico eliminate barriers in trading and investment losing jobs Congress Oversees Foreign Policy Bureaucracies both houses can call for investigations and hearings hearings create public forum on foreign policy Iraq War hearings and Benghazi hearings The National Security Council Advises the President The National Security Council founded in 1947 gathers security related information for president current national security advisor is Susan Rice can be placed without congressional approval NSC Power foremost advisory body to president National Security Advisor advises president on issues of foreign policy Susan Rice The State Department the agency responsible for U S diplomatic relations Secretary of State president s foreign policy adviser and head of the Dept of State currently John Kerry Ambassadors head of a diplomatic delegation to a major foreign country Foreign Service Officers diplomats who staff U S embassies and consulates Embassy structure that houses ambassadors and their diplomatic aides in the capital cities of foreign countries The Defense Department cabinet department responsible for managing the U S Armed forces Secretary of Defense president s chief civilian adviser on defense matters currently Chuck Hagel Join Chiefs of Staff heads of all the military services coordinates military actions between each branch of the armed forces Central Intelligence Agency agency is responsible for gathering and analyzing information about the political and military activities of other nations Occasionally C I A has conducted covert or secret military operations typically has been unsuccessful Bay of Pigs Cuba The Cold War and Post Cold War World Cold War view divided into two centers of power U S and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies period of political and economic competition as well as military tension Containment Policy U S policy that attempted to stop the spread of communism Views on Nation building Nation building interventions designed to enhance democratic practices in other countries Two Schools of Thought Realism belief that U S foreign policy best protests democracy when it safeguards its own economic and military strength Idealism belief that U S foreign policy should be guided primarily by democratic principles Sometimes realist and idealist objectives are aligned