POLS 4033 American Foreign Policy

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POLS 4033American Foreign Policy

• Rosati, Chapter 5/ Presentation I
• The Bureaucracy, Presidential Management and the
  National Security Council

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Key Issues

• A Huge and Complex Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
• Presidential Management
• The National Security Council

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1) A Huge and Complex Bureaucracy

• In what ways are the foreign policy bureaucracy
  both a source of and a constraint on presidential
  power?
• Three complications 1) Size 2) Complexity 3)
  Historical development

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1a) Bureaucratic Size

• Virtually every executive branch agency has some
  involvement in international affairs
• Even HUD has an assistant to the secretary for
  international affairs

The DOD is the largest of all executive branch
organizations, employing over 3 million civilian
and military personnel, and operating with a
current budget in excess of 430 billion.
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1b) Complexity

• A multitude of tasks, many of them overlapping
• The importance of administrative discretion and
  bureaucratic autonomy

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1bi) Complexity The Erosion of High/Low
Foreign/Domestic Political Distinctions

• Edward Morse, Foreign Policy and Interdependence
  (1973)
• Breaking down the wall between foreign and
  domestic policy
• Eroding the separation of high and low
  politics

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1bii) ComplexityThe Internationalization of
Domestic Bureaucracies

• Globalization has facilitated the rise of global
  bureaucratic networks
• Food, energy, finance, communication,
  environment, economic growth, and the spread of
  technology

Dr. Raymond Hopkins of Swarthmore College
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1c) Historical Development

• Three successive waves of bureaucratic growth
• Why is the lack of foresight and design in
  managing the growth of the federal bureaucracy?
• Bureaucracy by accretion adding layers onto
  layers of bureaucracy
• The landmark nature of the National Security Act
  (1947)

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1ci) The National Security Act (1947)

• Reorganized the military
• Created the CIA and the role of the DCI
• Created the National Security Council and the
  role of national security advisor

What were the basic motivations guiding the
passage of the NSA in 1947?
Harry Truman signing an amendment to the NSA in
1949 aboard the Sacred Cow, the predecessor to
Air Force One.
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2) Presidential Management

• How can presidents manage the bureaucracy?
• Three sets of choices will determine presidential
  success
• Presidents foreign policy orientation, agenda,
  and level of involvement
• The appointment of executive branch personnel
• The organization of the foreign policy-making
  process

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2a) Orientation, Agenda, and Level of Involvement

• Important quote The more a president is
  attentive to and involved in what goes on
  throughout the executive branch, the more likely
  he will influence and manage the bureaucracy in
  accordance with a foreign policy orientation of
  his choosing

How attentive and involved is our current
president?
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2b) Appointment of Staff and AdvisersThree Vital
Sets of Appointments

• Personal presidential staff
• Major policy advisors
• High-level officials responsible for other
  cabinet departments and executive agencies

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2bi) Presidential DependenceOn Transitional Staff

• Turnover is quite high compared to other nations
• FDR and the EOP as a means of managing a huge
  bureaucracy
• The power of the West Wing staff

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where
most members of the Executive Office of the
Presidency reside
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2bii) The Power of the Chief of Staff

• What factors determine a chief of staffs power
  and influence?
• How powerful is the current chief of staff?

Current White House chief of staff Joshua Bolton
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2biii) Six vital Foreign Policy Appointments

• National Security Advisor
• Secretary of State
• Secretary of Defense

• Director of Central Intelligence
• NEC Advisor
• Secretary of the Treasury

How would you rate the current presidents
appointments? What criterion would you use to
assign an A-F grade to the president?
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2biii) Essay 5.1Transforming the Vice Presidency

• What were the traditional selection criterion for
  VP?
• How have the last two VPs differed from
  traditional VPs?
• Is Dick Cheney all-powerful?

Dick Cheney waves to the troops just before
shooting someone IN THE FACE!!!!!
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2c) The organization of the foreign policy-making
process

• White House centered, State Department centered,
  or mixed/ad hoc?
• Centralized or decentralized?
• Open or closed to staff and advisors?

How would you describe the current
administrations orientation to these three
questions?
Rosati These sorts of choices are a function of
a presidents personal characteristics
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3) The National Security Council

• The importance of the NSC advisor
• What are the three functions of the NSC advisor
• To what extent was the creation of the NSC a
  reaction to FDRs management style?

Front cover of the 2002 National Security Strategy
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3a) Changing Patterns in the NSC

• Two important changes
• a) Policy advice and b) coordination became the
  primary functions c) long-term planning faded
  into the background
• The NSC staff (with the NSC advisor) has become
  more significant, while the National Security
  Council as a decision-making body has declined in
  importance
• The fate of NSC-68?