Most Americans don't know much about how the foreign policy sausage gets made. Yet, we have:
- The President and a huge White House staff, the Vice President same, State Department, DOD, the intelligence agencies, USDA, and many other executive branch orgs.
- Interagency committees that coordinate crosscutting issues, led by the Natl Security Council and Natl Economic Council.
- Congress, its leadership and committees.
- Lobbyists of all types: Corporate, public interest, registered foreign agents, domestic ethnic lobbies.
- U.S. embassies stuffed with personnel from many agencies that do a lot of the on-the-ground implementing.
- Foreign governments. Why wouldn't they influence USFP?
- IGOs/NGOs: Internatl govt and non-govt orgs, from the UN to the EU to the IPCC to Human Rights Watch.
- The broad U.S. public, at least on a few high-profile issues.
USFP has a lot of cooks, clearly. Yet, you do not have to know all of these players to answer a few basic questions, like:
- Who really MAKES our foreign policy? Who is most influential and who gets left out?
- Who implements it all? Who is accountable (and to whom)?
- How much does the public know about it all, and is it vital that they know?
The week before our October 13th mtg, look back here for a few optional background readings. We may have some pros in attendance, WADG members people that helped to make and carry out our foreign policy.
Code of conduct -
· All views and political orientations are welcome. We welcome beginners and policy wonks alike. Feel free to join discussion or just to listen/learn.
· If you sign up and change your mind, please change your reply so that someone else may attend.
· Please thank our hosts if you can by buying something at the counter.
