Fall 2017 JPI

configurations have formed conflicts as much as religion, ideology, and other factors we hold dear in
sociology. In Robert D. Kaplan’s The Revenge of Geography, he writes “Europe, as we know from
Mackinder, has had its destiny shaped by the influx of Asian hordes. And indeed, in the twenty-first
century, Europe will continue to be pivotally influenced by its relations with the East, particularly with
Russia.” 25 Europe has never begotten the advantageous geographical advantage that the United States
benefits from.
THE ROLE US DOMESTIC POLITICS PLAY IN FOREIGN POLICY
To elaborate on American national security and the role NATO plays in it, American domestic
politics must be addressed. Historically, the US executive and legislative branches have clashed over
their constitutional powers to control foreign policy. This has been a battle that ensued on multiple
occasions in the court of public opinion, and has contributed to uncertainty among US allies. John
Kerry, the 68th United States Secretary of State, once stated, “This open letter by the Republicans to
Iran] risks undermining the confidence that foreign governments in thousands of important
agreements commit to between the United States and other countries. And it purports to tell the world
that if you want to have any confidence in your dealings with America they have to negotiate with 535
members of Congress.” 26
According to the separation of powers affirmed in the Constitution, congressional
participation in foreign policy comprises of four powers: (1) the ability to confirm presidential
appointments, many of whom affect foreign policy, (2) war powers, specifically in declaring war on
another state, (3) the power to regulate commerce, which is remarkably vital in a globalized world, and
(4) the power of advice and consent in the establishment of treaties. 27 The type of Congress there is
in the sphere of foreign policy, be it supportive, aggressive or strategic, results in different kinds of
presidencies. To skirt past some of the powers of the legislative branch in foreign policy, the executive
has resorted to several approaches. The four most significant strategies at the President’s disposal are:
“using executive agreements, issuing signing statements, using unofficial ambassadors, and engaging
in undeclared wars.” 28 Even with these strategies, and they have varied based on who was the
Commander-in-Chief, there have been conflicts between the two branches. There is no greater
illustration of this than the hard-fought dispute to get the United States Congress to ratify the North
Atlantic Treaty. In 1948, the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, and his Secretary
of State, George C. Marshall, learned the hard way that domestic politics could put a dent on any
foreign policy. In a Foreign Affairs piece by Michael Howard titled NATO at Fifty: An Unhappy Successful
Marriage: Security Means Knowing What to Expect, he wrote:
States are cold monsters that mate for convenience and self-protection, not love,
and this became very clear during the negotiations for the creation of the alliance
that dragged throughout 1948. The State Department, both conscious of a
Congress still hostile to any further ‘entangling alliances’ and anxious not to accept
the division of Germany and Europe as final, was at first prepared to act as no
more than a benevolent godfather to a West European alliance. 29
25 Robert D. Kaplan, The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate (New York: Random
House Trade Paperbacks, 2013).
26 Michael McAuliff, "John Kerry Hammers GOP Senators' 'Irresponsible' Letter to Iran," The Huffington Post, March 11, 2015, accessed May 03,
2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/john-kerry-iran-letter_n_6848562.html.
27 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-foreign-policy-powers-congress-and-president
28 Glenn P. Hastedt, American Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015).
29 Michael Howard, "NATO at Fifty: An Unhappy Successful Marriage: Security Means Knowing What to Expect," Foreign Affairs, May 23, 1999,
accessed May 06, 2017, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/1999-05-01/nato-fifty-unhappy-successful-marriage-security-means-knowing-whatexpect.
JPI Fall 2017, pg. 16