Imbalance of Powers: Constitutional Interpretation and the Making of American Foreign Policy

The Vietnam War and Watergate proved that the growth of presidential power after World War II needed to be redressed. The congressional effort to do that in the 1970's and 1980's failed, however, because it utilized a new interpretation of foreign policy powers--one that was construed by Congress and backed by the Supreme Court. While neither those in Congress nor the Supreme Court Justices have an incentive to revise this interpretation, the book argues, it may well be in the president's best interest to encourage their participation in foreign policy decisions. Silverstein shows that an understanding of American politics entails an awareness of the way in which it is constrained by constitutional interpretation.