President vs. Congress in US Foreign Policy: Cooperation or Confrontation

Abstract

AbstractThe powers to formulate foreign policy had been divided between the president and the Congress with an object to achieve continuity, coherence, and consistency in foreign policy. Both have opportunity to change features of foreign policy, to approach complete process and to execute and implementation of foreign policy. The formation of US foreign policy is more difficult and complex, and the support of these two branches is required for the making of strong and effective foreign policy. Check and balance is the key feature of relations between the President and Congress. This is the most important feature of the US political system in order to prevent the one organ of Government to become so powerful to impose its hegemony and the domination over the other. The dispersal of power over foreign policy puts a heavy premium on consultation, coordination, and cooperation by these two important organs of US Government.Key Words: President, Congress, Bipartisanship, Partisanship, Foreign Policy, Formulation, Cooperation, Consultation, Confrontation, Constitution,IntroductionThe President of USA is regarded as a chief actor in the field of foreign policy. According to US constitution the President is the Chief Executive, Chief of the State, Commander-in-Chief, Chief Treaty Negotiator, Chief Appointing Authority, Chief Diplomat and Chief of foreign policy maker. With these powers, the President is able to control and dominate US foreign policy. While, on the other hand, the Congress is more powerful and independent position in the field of foreign policy. It has a power of purse, declares war, confirms or rejects presidential appointments, ratifies treaties, sanctions funds, manages and regulates trade, and approves the sale of arms. But, if the Congress passes a series of laws that are unconstitutional, the President use his right of veto to checks the power of Congress.The nature of cooperation between the President and the Congress are based on the principles of bipartisanship. Bipartisanship as a political situation, exists in terms of two party system (e.g. in case of United States), to attain compromise as result to politically reorientation phase. While, partisanship is the opposite term which is characterized by a lack of cooperation between rival political parties. The success of the US foreign policy depends upon the mutual cooperation of President and the Congress. The cooperation between the President and Congress has affective role in the formulation of US foreign policy. On the other hand, the disagreement and uncompromising attitudes between them results in open confrontation, which, sometimes makes the making of foreign policy issues more difficult and complicated. An important element of cooperation is consultation which develop mutual trust, and encourages them (President and Congress) in formulation of foreign policy. Contrary, the confrontation between the two branches not only delayed the decisions on important global and regional issues, but adversely affected the cordial relations between the President and the Congress.Against this background, the research paper discusses the cooperation and confrontation between the President and Congress in the formulation, adoption, and implementation of US foreign policy. The paper tries to explore that how the relations between president and congress will remain diverse on different issues and how one can predict when the president and Congress will cooperate or when they will fight. It has been examined through this study through new ground in combining several policy alternatives with analysis that sheds new light on the nature of relations of the President and the Congress. The research paper looks to identify the factors that determine the President's ability to get the support and cooperation of the Congress in accordance with his preferences. The paper describes how presidential popularity, the president's party controls over congress, party unity, security and economic conditions affect the President-Congress relationship. …