U.S. Foreign Policy Midterm

Foreign Policy

scope of involvement abroad and the collection of goals, strategies, and instruments that are selected by governmental policymakers

Truman Doctrine

established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat. This was started during the Cold War part of the containment strategy

Congress

legislative branch of the government, influences FP with power of the purse, approving appointees, passing legislation

Isolationism

inward looking foreign policy approach that focuses on national interest, selective engagement, and offshore balancing

Presidency

person and the office, individual personality matters,

National Security Council

focal point for the management of the executive branch foreign policy making, works to help president’s weaknesses, headed by the National Security Adviser, created because of inefficiences in National Security Policymaking during WWII

National Economic Council

created by Clinton, coordinates economic policymaking process for domestic and international issues, advises the president, monitors presidents implementation of presidents economic policy agenda

State Department

executive branch organization, responsible for the conduct of foreign policy

Secretary of Defense

head of the DoD, advised by Joint Chiefs, major advisor to the president, highly coveted position

Intelligence Community

18 components, most decentralized component of bureaucracy, eyes and ears of foreign policy bureaucracy, protect communication and security, carry out operations

Congressional Powers

War powers - decide when country goes to war, advice on and consent to appointments and treaties, Power of the Purse, Power to Make Laws, Power ov Oversight and Investigation

Rational Actors Model

assumes that the main actor in foreign policy is a rational individual who can be relied on to make informed, calculated decisions that maximize value and perceived benefits to the state, centralized. EX. Cuban missile crisis

Governmental Politics

One way to examine foreign policymaking. Pluralistic and political, results in political bargaining, coalition building, and compromise

Bureaucratic Politics

When president and close advisors are not involved, the bureaucracy dominates, agencies overlap and conflict, the implementation state of policymaking is dominated by the Bureaucracy

Containment

Strategy implemented by U.S. and other Democratic countries to contain communism to the countries it was already in

The White House

the president and other staff

Foreign Policy Bureaucracy

administrative organization that carries out day-to-day government business. 3 foundational characteristics: hierarchy, specialization, routinization, 15

Internationalism

outward-looking foreign policy focusing on engagement and global interest

Presidential Powers

Head of State, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Chief Executive, Chief Legislator

National Security Adviser

Head of the National Security Council, important advisor to the president,

Secretary of State

head of the State Department, important advisor to the president, coveted cabinet position,

Department of Defense

defend and protect the country, allows for a more centralized and unified military, largest bureaucracy

Joint Chiefs

One from each branch of the Military (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, coordinate military strategy and represent entire military in advising the president

War Powers

federal law intended to check the U.S. president's power to commit the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress, if troops are sent to fight they cant be there for more than 60 days without congressional authorization and the president must report this within 48 hours

GroupThink

striving for unanimity overrides the motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action, this leads to poor decisions being made, centralized and irrational, conform to group norms/decisons, strong dominating leader. Ex) U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan

Organizational Politics

decentralized and the bureacratic organizations are the main actors, this often applies to agenda issues that are not important to the president, most common in implementation stage. Ex) challenger explosion

Interbranch Politics

Decentralized and political, congress and president, Divided government, increased polarization