1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910813826503321

Autore

Armacost Michael H.

Titolo

Ballots, bullets, and bargains : American foreign policy and presidential elections / / Michael H. Armacost

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, New York : , : Columbia University Press, , 2015

©2015

ISBN

0-231-53913-4

Edizione

[Pilot project,eBook available to selected US libraries only]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (300 p.)

Disciplina

324.973

Soggetti

Presidents - United States - Election - History

United States Foreign relations 1945-1989

United States Foreign relations 1989-

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- CONTENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. Elections, Parties, and Politics -- 2. Quest for the Nomination: Appealing to the Base -- 3. Campaigns: Opportunities and Challenges for Incumbents -- 4. Campaigns: Opportunities and Obstacles for Challengers -- 5. Presidential Transitions -- 6. Launching a Presidential Term -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Drawing on twenty-four years of experience in government, Michael H. Armacost explores how the contours of the U.S. presidential election system influence the content and conduct of American foreign policy. He examines how the nomination battle impels candidates to express deference to the foreign policy DNA of their party and may force an incumbent to make wholesale policy adjustments to fend off an intra-party challenge for the nomination. He describes the way reelection campaigns can prod a chief executive to fix long-neglected problems, kick intractable policy dilemmas down the road, settle for modest course corrections, or scapegoat others for policies gone awry. Armacost begins his book with the quest for the presidential nomination and then moves through the general election campaign, the ten-week transition period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, and the early months of a new administration. He notes that campaigns



rarely illuminate the tough foreign policy choices that the leader of the nation must make, and he offers rare insight into the challenge of aligning the roles of an outgoing incumbent (who performs official duties despite ebbing power) and the incoming successor (who has no official role but possesses a fresh political mandate). He pays particular attention to the pressure for new presidents to act boldly abroad in the early months of his tenure, even before a national security team is in place, decision-making procedures are set, or policy priorities are firmly established. He concludes with an appraisal of the virtues and liabilities of the system, including suggestions for modestly adjusting some of its features while preserving its distinct character.