Abstract
The chapter examines the various tensions that exist between a constitutional system founded upon a rules based conception of limited powers, and the requirements of a policy sector that is externally driven, highly reactive and expansionary in its effect upon power accumulation. While the foreign policy process is often be presented as the height of organizational modernity with its emphasis upon sophisticated information processing and decision-making systems, it also retains a capacity for reverting into heated debates over the demarcation and distribution of authority within the government. The chapter reviews the nature and effects of what is a complex landscape and examines the strains between notions of functional responsiveness and institutional realism on the one hand, and the continued importance of civic norms and due process on the other.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | U.S. Foreign Policy |
Editors | Michael Cox, Doug Stokes |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 111-125 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-0199585816, 0199585814 |
Publication status | Published - 07 Apr 2012 |
Keywords
- foreign policy
- state formation
- US constitution
- executive prerogative
- separation of powers
- democratic dilemmas
- open government
- secrecy
- rule of law
- realpolitik
- 9/11
- War on Terror