Chapter 4: Presidential Power

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Chapter Summary

U.S. foreign-policy making centers on the president. Based on provisions in the Constitution and historical precedents, the president has become the hub and focus of foreign-policy agenda setting and implementation. The Constitution gives the president strong formal powers, such as commanding the nation's armed forces, signing treaties, recognizing foreign ministers and governments, and appointing ambassadors. The president also has inherent advantages and informal powers--he is the only elected official with a national constituency, a political party leader, and a unitary actor, and the presidency is always in session. Despite these advantages and resources, the president is hardly free from constraints and influences in foreign-policy decision making.

The president is surrounded by an inner circle of advisers, staff members, and cabinet secretaries, all of whom have interests and opinions in the foreign-policy process. This chapter also discusses the emerging role of an active vice president in foreign-policy decision making. The president also has executive councils that operate to inform and advise the White House and are separate from the bureaucracy. The most notable position is that of the national security adviser, who has played a large role in foreign-policy decision making since Henry Kissinger held the post in the Nixon administration. The chapter further discusses how important this position has become following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Presidents, however, use and manage their advisory networks differently. Various models of foreign-policy management style exist, ranging from less organized competitive models to more orderly and hierarchal formalistic models.

The president also faces constraints outside the executive branch. The international system often determines the global environment in which states operate, and the president is not free from issues that arise from the balance of power among countries and military rivalries. The president is not removed from the domestic political environment, which includes elections, political party influences and rifts, congressional challenges, and bureaucratic issues. Presidents also face the psychological limitations and challenges discussed at the conclusion of Chapter 3, such as limits on time, energy, rationality, and ideology. Finally, foreign-policy issues that are not anticipated or among the president's priorities are often brought to the agenda by international crises, Congress, or the media. Thus, the president remains the most powerful unitary actor in foreign policy but is not free from constraints on power.