ABSTRACT
A basic issue concerns the respective roles of the President and Congress in foreign policy. The Constitution divides the foreign policy powers between the President and Congress in a manner that has been described as “an invitation to struggle for the privilege of directing American foreign policy. Bipartisanship in foreign policy is based on the premise that cooperation between the President and Congress in foreign policy is essential, but the meaning of cooperation varies. Opposition to bipartisanship is based on the premise that under the separation of powers system the President makes foreign policy and the appropriate role for Congress in foreign policy is adversarial. Congress has generally agreed that the President as head of the executive branch has responsibility for the carrying out of foreign policy and the day to day conduct of foreign relations. Congress has asserted an increasingly influential role in the day-to-day micromanagement of foreign policy and even of foreign operations.
