ABSTRACT
The history of postwar foreign policy indicates that if policymakers want to develop a bipartisan foreign policy, several methods for doing so have proved useful. Consultation between the branches and including members of both political parties is probably the most widely advocated method of establishing a bipartisan foreign policy. In the past a frequent method of promoting bipartisanship was through appointments of members of the opposing party to high executive positions. Bipartisan commissions have been established on several occasions by either the President or Congress to deal with divisive foreign policy issues. President Reagan appointed a third bipartisan commission in 1983, the Commission on Security and Economic Assistance, to conduct a review of the foreign assistance programs and find ways to generate additional public support. All congressional committees are bipartisan in structure, with ratios reflecting the overall composition of Congress and Members assigned by the party caucuses. Staffing patterns of executive branch agencies and congressional committees also affect bipartisanship.
