ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the role of presidential agency in the formulation of US foreign policy. It demonstrates that the foreign policy actions of individual presidents have contributed to a long-term trend that has pushed the presidency further and further to the centre of US foreign policy-making. In the realm of foreign policy it is quite clear that crises provide the president with the greatest opportunity to exert leadership. Traditionally, the Department of State has been the principal agent of the US government responsible for foreign policy. Similar to the competitive model, the collegial model stresses the importance of diverse opinions and competition in the policy-making process. George Edwards has argued strongly that presidential leadership of Congress is typically at the margins, not the core, of policy-making. Presidents have tried to minimise the involvement of Congress in foreign policy, particularly in the area of national security and defence policy, but it is impossible for any president to avoid dealing with Congress.
