Sailing the Water's Edge
The Domestic Politics of American Foreign Policy
Published on 29. August 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-691-17481-5 (ISBN)
Description
When engaging with other countries, the U.S. government has a number of different policy instruments at its disposal, including foreign aid, international trade, and the use of military force. But what determines which policies are chosen? Does the United States rely too much on the use of military power and coercion in its foreign policies? Sailing the Water's Edge focuses on how domestic U.S. politics--in particular the interactions between the president, Congress, interest groups, bureaucratic institutions, and the public--have influenced foreign policy choices since World War II and shows why presidents have more control over some policy instruments than others. Presidential power matters and it varies systematically across policy instruments. Helen Milner and Dustin Tingley consider how Congress and interest groups have substantial material interests in and ideological divisions around certain issues and that these factors constrain presidents from applying specific tools. As a result, presidents select instruments that they have more control over, such as use of the military. This militarization of U.S. foreign policy raises concerns about the nature of American engagement, substitution among policy tools, and the future of U.
S. foreign policy. Milner and Tingley explore whether American foreign policy will remain guided by a grand strategy of liberal internationalism, what affects American foreign policy successes and failures, and the role of U.S. intelligence collection in shaping foreign policy. The authors support their arguments with rigorous theorizing, quantitative analysis, and focused case studies, such as U.S. foreign policy in Sub-Saharan Africa across two presidential administrations. Sailing the Water's Edge examines the importance of domestic political coalitions and institutions on the formation of American foreign policy.
S. foreign policy. Milner and Tingley explore whether American foreign policy will remain guided by a grand strategy of liberal internationalism, what affects American foreign policy successes and failures, and the role of U.S. intelligence collection in shaping foreign policy. The authors support their arguments with rigorous theorizing, quantitative analysis, and focused case studies, such as U.S. foreign policy in Sub-Saharan Africa across two presidential administrations. Sailing the Water's Edge examines the importance of domestic political coalitions and institutions on the formation of American foreign policy.
Reviews / Votes
Winners of the 2016 Gladys M. Kammerer Award, American Political Science Association "Milner and Tingley provide a thorough examination of how presidential power in foreign policy is contingent on relations with domestic actors (Congress, interest groups, and the public). Their book is a welcome addition to the literature as the dominant assumption is that presidents are impervious to domestic pressure."--ChoiceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
18 line illus. 19 tables.
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
593 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-17481-5 (9780691174815)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Helen V. Milner | Dustin Tingley
Sailing the Water's Edge
The Domestic Politics of American Foreign Policy
E-Book
10/2015
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
from
€120.95
Available for download
Persons
Helen V. Milner is the B.C. Forbes Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Her books include Votes, Vetoes, and the Political Economy of International Trade Agreements and Interests, Institutions, and Information (both Princeton). Dustin Tingley is professor of government at Harvard University.
Content
List of Tables viii List of Figures ix Preface xi 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Motivation and Focus1 Core Contributions 6 What Is Foreign Policy? 7 Presidential Power in Foreign Policy 10 Overview of Our Theory 18 Implications for US Foreign Policy 21 Organization of the Book 27 Conclusion 30 2 A THEORY OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER AND US FOREIGN POLICY 33 Foreign Policy Instruments 35 Distributive Politics and US Foreign Policy 39 Political Ideology and the Extent of Ideological Divisions over US Foreign Policy 56 Connecting to Policy Substitution 67 Hypotheses: Presidential Influence and the Characteristics of Policy Instruments 69 Alternative Explanations 71 Conclusion 74 3 FOLLOW THE SAND DOLLARS: Interest Groups and American Foreign Policy Instruments 77 What Are Interest Groups and What Do They Do? 82 Testimony and Lobbying Data about Interest Groups across Foreign Policy Instruments 83 Interest Groups and International Engagement 85 Who Gets Lobbied? 104 Conclusion 119 4 FROM THE FLOOR TO THE SHORE: Budget Politics and Roll Call Voting on US Foreign Policy 121 When Do Presidents Get the Budgets They Request? 123 The Voting-Legislating Connection 129 Conclusion 153 5 CONTROLLING THE SAND CASTLE: The Design and Control of US Foreign Policy Agencies 157 Institutional Design 159 Analyzing Bureaucratic Control 162 Case Studies 168 Implications for Substitution 180 Conclusion 182 6 THE VIEW FROM THE PUBLIC BEACH: Presidential Power and Substitution in American Public Opinion 185 Public Opinion and Foreign Policy 186 Chapter Outline 188 The Role of the President: Information and Impact 189 Ideological Divisions and Substitution across Foreign Policy Instruments 196 Conclusion 206 7 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY TOWARD SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 1993-2009: A Case Study of Policy Instrument Politics and Substitution 209 Sub-Saharan Africa Policy (1993-2001): The Clinton Years 212 Sub-Saharan Africa Policy during the George W Bush Administration (2001-2009) 234 Conclusion 252 8 CONCLUSIONS 255 Our Argument and Findings 255 Important Implications for IR Theory 263 Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, Polarization, and Bipartisanship 266 How Does Our Argument Apply to Other Countries? 267 Limitations and Future Research 269 Implications for American Foreign Policy 272 Works Cited 285 Index 319