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At the President’s Pleasure: Constraints on Presidential Development of Foreign Policy in Sino-US Relations

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Global Perspectives on US Foreign Policy
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Abstract

The foreign policy-making process of the US government is very complex. There is no single process for the development of policy, much less its implementation. Many agencies, committees, departments of the executive, and branches of government play a role in the determination of US foreign policy. Over time scholars have sought to develop models to examine the process. The usefulness of the model depends on the aspect of policy-making under study. No one article or chapter can attempt to cover the entire process. This chapter will explore the role of the executive in foreign policy-making. It will analyze the relationship between the State Department and the president in terms of influence over decision making, and the influence that domestic factors, such as Congress and public opinion, have over a president’s foreign policy. These areas demonstrate the complexity of the entire process well, and provide some clues for understanding foreign policy development in the United States. These are two areas that are also particularly bewildering to non-US scholars.

She received her PhD from The Australian National University.

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Sally Burt Daniel Añorve Añorve

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© 2013 Sally Burt and Daniel Añorve Añorve

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Burt, S. (2013). At the President’s Pleasure: Constraints on Presidential Development of Foreign Policy in Sino-US Relations. In: Burt, S., Añorve, D.A. (eds) Global Perspectives on US Foreign Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137357663_2

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