5.13 Foreign Policy

Lesson Overview

• Students Will Be Able To:

– Identify the president's constitutional powers and limitations as chief diplomat.

– Identify how national security agencies proved foreign policy support for the president.

– Explain how the president can steer foreign policy and the limits on
presidential authority in foreign policy.

• Vocabulary:

– Chief Diplomat, Diplomacy, Director of National Intelligence (DNI),
Executive Agreements, Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor
(NSA), National Security Council (NSC), War Powers Act

Essential Question-How do presidents conduct the
foreign policy of the nation?

Imagine you

are the

President of
the U.S. What
would you do
with foreign

policy?

The Warning of "Foreign Entanglements"

• George Washington warned the young United States of this in his farewell address in 1796

• He was speaking of the problems with the U.S.
Policy towards France (they had helped in our
Revolution and were in the middle of their own)

• He wanted the U.S. to be more of an Isolationist
country (staying out of things)

• Today however, it is too hard to remain that way, with all the interconnectedness around the world especially with economies.

Chief Diplomat of the United States

• Diplomacy- the method by which nations interact using dialog and negotiations to pursue their economic, political, national security interests in a peaceful manner.

• Article II of the Constitution grants the powers that give the
president the role of Chief Diplomat- the person responsible for the country's policy toward foreign governments.

• These powers include-

– The power to make treaties

– The power to appoint ambassadors to foreign governments and receive ambassadors from foreign governments

– The power to command the armed forces

Checks on the Chief Diplomat's
Power/Role

•The Senate does have the power to ratify treaties and confirm ambassadors according to the Constitution

• The president is the single representative of the United States to the world in both times of war and peace

– They represent all Americans, even the ones that did not vote for them

– The president is responsible for executing (putting into effect) US foreign policy

• Since this is such a large task, especially in more modern
times, the president relies on advice and knowledge from
advisors

Diplomatic Advisors to the President

•The National Security Council (NSC)- the main group of foreign policy, military, and national security advisors to the president.

•Presidents rely on this group as experts in diplomacy (The Vice President is often included in this as well)

•Some of the main advisors in the NSC-

–National Security Advisor (NSA)- Most senior advisor on foreign policy, appointed by the president

–Department of State- led by the Secretary of State, international relations, diplomatic missions, negotiating international treaties and agreements, represents the U.S. at the United Nations

–Department of Defense-provides foreign policy support dealing with military actions, the Joint Chiefs of Staff- top-ranking active-duty officers from all branches of the armed forces

–Department of Homeland Security- Coordinates 22 Federal Agencies to protect the domestic front (The United States itself), mainly on issues of terrorism

–United States Intelligence Community (IC)- the many different civilian and military intelligence-gathering agencies, overseen by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI)- the person who coordinates of all these different intelligence agencies

Treaty Powers and Foreign Policy

• The president can either use the formal treaty powers or the informal power of executive agreement with foreign nations

• The Senate must approve (ratify) all treaties with a 2/3 vote (Have only rejected 22 treaties between 1789 and 2012)

• Example-

– The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles

• Executive Agreements- legally binding under international law
and are agreements between the executive branch and a
foreign nation, all they need is a majority vote in both houses

• Usually these executive agreements deal with trade issues but can be more serious like withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973

Appoint and Receive Ambassadors

• Presidents often appoint ambassadorship (naming the person as an ambassador) to loyal political supporters

• When countries have disputes with one another they can recall their ambassadors to show they are displeased

• Example- the U.S. did this with Cuba in the 1960's and President
Obama reinstated diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015

• Presidents also receive ambassadors from other countries and that helps those countries become more legitimate

• Examples-

– President Bill Clinton helped to negotiate the peace in Northern
Ireland

– -U.S. officially recognized the country of Israel in 1948

President's Role in War and Conflict

• The president is the Commander in Chief but does not have the power to declare war, only Congress can do that.

• Since 1789 the U.S. has only declared war on 5 occasions

• War Powers Act- Passed in 1973, requires the president to seek
Congressional authorization before deploying troops

– Must report the action within 48 hours and if Congress does not authorize it in 60 days, they must withdraw troops within 30 days

• Over 132 reports for troops have been submitted to Congress since 1973

Essential Question-How do presidents conduct
foreign policy of the nation?

•As the chief diplomat, the president has the constitutional authority to make treaties, appoint and receive ambassadors, and if needed, deploy the military to execute the foreign policy of the United States.

•The National Security Council (NSC), led by the president’s National Security Advisor, coordinates the many
departments and agencies.

•Modern presidents largely use executive agreements as a more efficient way than treaty-making to enact agreements with foreign nations.

•Presidents can shape foreign policy by the power to appoint and receive ambassadors and by choosing whether to officially recognize other countries.

•The War Powers Act has worked as a check on the president’s power to use military force by requiring the president to consult with Congress within established timelines when sending troops into battle.