Dec 7, 2015
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? A new book released by a
Princeton-Harvard team 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. The book, "Sailing the Water's Edge: The
Domestic Politics of American Foreign Policy" was written by Helen
V. Milner, B.C. Forbes Professor of Politics and International
Affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public
and International Affairs, and Dustin Tingley, professor of
government at Harvard University. In the following podcast, Milner
and Tingley provide a preview of their work and explain the
inspiration behind their book.