Imbalance of Powers

Gordon Silverstein is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Introduction1.: Constitutional Interpretation and Foreign Policy2.: A New Interpretation Evolves: Executive Prerogative in Foreign Policy3.: Why Statues Don't Work: Congress Strikes Back, and Makes it Worse4.: Political Solutions to a Political Problem: Incentives to Rebalance Power.ConclusionNotesBibliography

"Represents a major contribution to scholarship on all three branches of government....This will be standard fare for those interested in how the government of the United States makes -- and should make -- foreign policy." --Lock K. Johnson, University of Georgia"Imbalance of Powers addresses an important topic -- the balance of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government -- and makes a substantial contribution to the literature." --James M. Lindsay, University of Iowa"Gordon Silverstein tackles head-on a constitutional crisis that steadily grows worse: the concentration of foreign affairs and the war power in the Executive. As he demonstrates so well, this shift of power is a threat not only to the framers' intent, Congress, constitutional limits, and public control, but to the Presidency itself. A powerful and constructive wake-up call." --Louis Fisher, Congressional Research Service"In nine well-documented chapters...the author traces the evolution of the constitutional interpretation of US foreign policy from the traditional interpretation to the appearance of the executive prerogative....Highly recommended for college, university, and law libraries, upper-division undergraduate through faculty. -- Choice"Represents a major contribution to scholarship on all three branches of government....This will be standard fare for those interested in how the government of the United States makes -- and should make -- foreign policy." --Lock K. Johnson, University of Georgia"Imbalance of Powers addresses an important topic -- the balance of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government -- and makes a substantial contribution to the literature." --James M. Lindsay, University of Iowa"Gordon Silverstein tackles head-on a constitutional crisis that steadily grows worse: the concentration of foreign affairs and the war power in the Executive. As he demonstrates so well, this shift of power is a threat not only to the framers' intent, Congress, constitutional limits, and public control, but to the Presidency itself. A powerful and constructive wake-up call." --Louis Fisher, Congressional Research Service"In nine well-documented chapters...the author traces the evolution of the constitutional interpretation of US foreign policy from the traditional interpretation to the appearance of the executive prerogative....Highly recommended for college, university, and law libraries, upper-division undergraduate through faculty. -- Choice