Choosing to Lead

Understanding Congressional Foreign Policy Entrepreneurs

Ralph G. Carter, James M. Scott

• Publisher: Duke University Press Books
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780822345039, 9780822344902
• eBook ISBN: 9780822390909
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Shedding new light on how U.S. foreign policy is made, Ralph G. Carter and James M. Scott focus on "congressional foreign policy entrepreneurs," the often unrecognized representatives and senators who take action on foreign policy matters rather than waiting for the executive branch to do so. These proactive members of Congress have undertaken many initiatives, including reaching out to Franco's Spain, promoting détente with the Soviet Union, proposing the return of the Panama Canal, seeking to ban military aid to Pinochet's regime in Chile, pushing for military intervention in Haiti, and championing the recognition of Vietnam. In Choosing to Lead, Carter and Scott examine the characteristics, activities, and impact of foreign policy entrepreneurs since the end of the Second World War. In so doing, they show not only that individual members of Congress have long influenced the U.S. foreign policy-making process, but also that the number of foreign policy entrepreneurs has grown over time.

Carter and Scott combine extensive quantitative analysis, interviews with members of Congress and their staff, and case studies of key foreign policy entrepreneurs, including Frank Church, William Fulbright, Jesse Helms, Edward Kennedy, Pat McCarran, and Curt Weldon. Drawing on their empirical data, the authors identify the key variables in foreign policy entrepreneurship, including membership in the Senate or House, seniority and committee assignments, majority or minority party status, choice of foreign policy issues, and the means used to influence policy. By illuminating the roles and impact of individual members of Congress, Carter and Scott contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the broader U.S. foreign policy-making process.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• 1. Beyond the White House: Bringing Congress into the Foreign Policy Picture
• 2. From Problem to Policy: A Theory of Congressional Foreign Policy Entrepreneurship
• 3. Surveying the Landscape: Congressional Foreign Policy Entrepreneurs since World War II
• 4. The Rising Tide: Entrepreneurship in the Cold War Consensus Period, 1946–1967
• 5. Players in the Game: Entrepreneurship in the Cold War Dissensus Period, 1968–1989
• 6. Contending with the Thaw: Entrepreneurship in the Post–Cold War Period, 1990–2000
• 7. After 9/11: Entrepreneurs into the Twenty-First Century
• 8. Part of the Landscape: Conclusions on the Entrepreneur Effect
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index