The making of American foreign policy 281International Criminal Court details of crimes against humanity allegedly
committed in Darfur in the Sudan, and the United States did not seek to
prevent that from happening. Questioned about this the White House Press
Secretary, Scott McClellan stated:
Our view of the International Criminal Court has not changed, nor has
our view that those who were responsible for atrocities in Darfur need
to be held accountable. We strongly support holding individuals who are
responsible for the atrocities that have taken place accountable for their
actions. And the reason we didn’t stand in the way of that resolution was
for two reasons. One, we believe strongly that people need to be held
accountable for the atrocities committed. Two, it provides protections for
Americans in that resolution. And that’s why we do not stand in the way
of that resolution passing.These four examples of the approach of the United States to foreign
policy issues suggest that there is, under the Bush Administration, a sense
that America has a special status, and should not be bound by the rules which
apply to other countries. Equally they illustrate that in many foreign policy
issues the pluralist character of American politics is very strong. The abil-
ity of the president to achieve policy objectives is subject to congressional
approval, and the role of pressure groups in arriving at decisions is critical.
The outcomes of the battles around many American foreign policy issues
are subject to all the constitutional, legal and political complexities which
characterise the American system of government.
Further reading
Houghton, D. (2002) ‘America as a Global Economic Player: Free Trade versus Protec-
tionism,’ in D. McKay, D. Houghton and A. Wroe, Controversies in American Politics,
Oxford: Blackwell.
Mayer, J. and McManus, D. (1988) Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984–1988,
London: Collins.
Sands, P. (2005) Lawless World: America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules, Lon-
don: Allen Lane.
Schlesinger, A.M. Jr (2005) War and the American Presidency, New York: Norton.
Woodward, B. (2003) Bush at War, London: Pocket Books.
Websites
Earlham College, Cuba and Helms–Burton: http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/ps17971/
weissdo/index.html
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States: http://www.9-11com-
mission.gov/report
The University of Michigan Documents Center, Iraq War Debate: http://www.lib.umich.
edu/govsdocs/iraqwar.html
World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org