Chapter 6 Politics (Week 6)

6.1 Discussion questions

Hess (2006): What have you learned from this paper? What are the implications for the US president’s war power?
Kim and Milner (2021): What is the main argument? Is it convincing? What additional research can be carried out? And what are the policy implications?

“Politics stop at the water’s edge.”

Early Cold War era: “golden edge of bipartisanship”
Yet, consensus
- more the exception than the rule
- not always a good thing (consensus \(\neq\) delegitimization of dissents: the Espionage and Sedition Acts, McCarthyism 1950s, Vietnam War)
- conflict not necessarily bad (serious debate and honest disagreement)

President and congress
Partisanship vs. constitutional-structural factors
- divided government more confrontation
- constitution intent: “separate institutions sharing powers”
War power: commander in chief; “declare war” and “provide for the common defense”
- use of force (>200 times); declared war (5 times)

Treaties: negotiation; ratification (2/3 Senate)
- executive agreements (status of forces agreements (SOFAs)); declaratory commitments (Monroe Doctrine, Truman Doctrine); withdraw from treaties (1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty)
Gov officials: nominate; confirm (simple majority Senate)
Commerce: Congress to “to regulate commerce”; delegate power (the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934)
General powers:
- President: Veto (override with 2/3 in both chambers); bully pulpit; signing statements
- Congress: power of the purse (“no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriation made by Law”); oversight and investigative powers (1980s Iran-contra)
- The Supreme Court: “political question” doctrine

Economic interest groups
- lobbying (1930 Smoot-Hawley Act; “the people who gave money to congressional campaigns had a right to expect it back in tariffs”)
- covert operations
- sanctions
Identity groups
- American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
- Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF) (Canosa: “we have used the Americans, but we have never left the initiative for Cuban issues in the Americans’ hands”)
Other interest groups, media and public opinion

Hess (2006)

President and Congress’ war powers
War Power Resolution in 1973 (consultation; hostile action 60+30 days; congress can remove troop if no declaration of war)
Bush I: UN, Congress, public \(\rightarrow\) waiting until last minute (congress reluctance to weaken US international position) \(\rightarrow\) both chambers approved \(\rightarrow\) constitutional ambiguity
Bush II: lacked international support; regime change and preemptive war \(\rightarrow\) WMD; Bush avoided the constitutional question, requested an early resolution vote, and played on the UN issue

Kim & Milner (2021)

MNC’s distinct roles as political actors
- collective action problem: economic dominance \(\downarrow\) costs of lobbying; large scale transnational activities \(\uparrow\) marginal benefits
Heterogeneous policy preference:
- exporting firms: trade liberalization
- military industrial complex; capitalist peace
- foreign economic policies
mechanisms: direct, indirect, agenda-setting
Three questions
- type or level of political activities of MNCs vs domestic firms
- driven by the difference in size vs. global outreach
- focus on different issues
Rearch design (Matching + DID)
## Resources