Executive and Legislative Roles in U.S. Foreign Policy
This paper examines how the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government interact to shape foreign policy, with particular attention to the Constitutional framework governing treaty ratification. Using the 2010 New START agreement between President Obama and Russian President Medvedev — which proposed reducing deployed strategic nuclear warheads from 2,200 to 1,550 — as a central case study, the paper traces the treaty process from executive negotiation through Senate deliberation. It also addresses the partisan political climate of the era and explains why bipartisan cooperation, though difficult, remained essential to completing this landmark arms control agreement.
- Introduction: The Two Branches and Foreign Policy: Overview of executive-legislative foreign policy dynamics
- The U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty: Background on Obama-Medvedev arms treaty negotiations
- Constitutional Authority Over Treaties: Senate's two-thirds ratification power explained
- Nuclear Stakes and the Case for Ratification: Strategic rationale for reducing nuclear arsenals
- Partisan Politics and Senate Opposition: Republican resistance and bipartisan debate in Senate
- Conclusion: Civic and constitutional duty to cooperate on treaties
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds an abstract constitutional question in a concrete, timely example — the 2010 U.S.-Russia arms reduction treaty — making the argument accessible and relevant.
- It moves logically from the general (executive-legislative dynamics) to the specific (treaty ratification mechanics) and back to the broader civic stakes in the conclusion.
- The inclusion of direct quotations from Senator Lugar adds credibility and illustrates real-world political reasoning rather than relying solely on abstract description.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a single, well-chosen case study to illustrate a broader structural argument about constitutional governance. By anchoring the discussion of executive-legislative relations in the New START treaty, the author demonstrates how institutional analysis becomes more persuasive when supported by a specific, documented example rather than general claims alone.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing question about how the two branches influence foreign policy, then provides background on treaty negotiation as an executive function. It explains the constitutional two-thirds ratification rule, discusses the strategic rationale for the specific arms treaty, addresses partisan obstacles in the Senate, and closes with a normative argument about the civic duty of both branches to cooperate. This introduction-context-analysis-conclusion structure is well suited to a short policy essay.
Introduction: The Two Branches and Foreign Policy
How do the executive and legislative branches — given the dynamics of American political culture — influence and shape U.S. foreign policy? This paper addresses that question and presents a concrete example of how the executive branch and the U.S. Senate act together, responding to a Constitutional provision, to complete an important foreign policy treaty.
Working together can be a complicated matter between the two branches because the executive branch typically seeks to determine its own foreign policy without interference from Congress. That said, the executive branch most often consults with key members of Congress in closed-door sessions — the press is not invited, and members of Congress who are privy to these discussions are not authorized to make them public.
The U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty
One particularly important aspect of foreign policy — treaties with foreign countries — brings the executive branch and the U.S. Senate together in the decision-making process. In this case, President Obama negotiated a deal with Russia in which both sides agreed to reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons from the existing ceiling of 2,200 to 1,550. For that treaty to be ratified, two-thirds of U.S. senators must vote in favor.
Some background on how the treaty came about is useful here. Members of the Senate do not travel to foreign countries to negotiate treaties; that diplomacy is the responsibility of the executive branch. Representatives from executive agencies — such as the Department of State — may help frame the strategy for a treaty with a foreign nation. President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed the agreement the previous April, but the Senate did not begin debating it until mid-December.
Constitutional Authority Over Treaties
The U.S. Constitution grants the Senate the power to approve, by a two-thirds vote, any treaty made by the executive branch. The Senate has rejected relatively few of the hundreds of treaties it has considered throughout the nation's history. Other treaties, however, have died in committee or been withdrawn by the president when it became clear the votes were not there to pass them.
The Senate also notes that the president may enter into executive agreements with foreign nations that do not require Senate approval, but for significant treaties, the Senate serves as part of the checks and balances that the framers of the Constitution intended. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution states that the president "shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur."
Conclusion
Congress and the executive branch have a duty to the American people to cooperate and consult one another on important foreign policy treaties. That duty is Constitutionally mandated, but it is also vitally important that the American people see the branches of government in Washington working together when it comes to reducing the deadly threat of nuclear war.
Works Cited
Tapper, Jake. "Passage of Major Legislation Can't Stop Obama's Poll Numbers From Dropping." ABC News. Retrieved December 17, 2010, from http://abcnews.go.com.
United States Senate. "Treaties." Retrieved December 17, 2010, from http://www.senate.gov.
Yahoo News. "Senate Kicks Off Debate Over U.S.–Russia Arms Treaty." Retrieved December 17, 2010, from (2010).
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