How Much Can We Control Foreign Policy

Okay so I've been really busy for the past few weeks and the past few days have been the first time in a long while I've had time to slow down and think. Consequently a lot of thoughts that have been up in my had for a while but haven't had time to coagulate into a fully formed argument have just started to coagulate. All of that is a long way to say that this post is throwing timelyness out the window and I'm going to talk about those slow burning ruminations.

On of my problems with modern presidential politics particularly in the 2012 election is the illusion of power of the office. Don't get me wrong the President is a powerful guy, but alot of people expect him to control and influence stuff that in all honesty he can't.

The big one being the economy. During the election I wish either candidate would have just stared into the camera and said, "What we call the economy is actually the aggregate trading behavior of ... everyone and I am just one guy.  Even if I did everything I could it would only push the numbers around a little, not create a grand reversal"

All of which leads me to an actually kind of timely issue despite my disclaimer, foreign policy. Foreign policy depends on the relationships of nations. For instance it is very doubtful we will ever go to war with Canada, because as it stands now we rely on each other for trade, work visas, and dare I say it television. My favorite childhood show was shot in Vancouver.


Thank God MacGuyver could get a Canadian work visa.

Most modern foreign policy is about creating such relationships and then using them as quid pro quo to advance national interests. Maybe you guys let more of us in without hassle and we'll cut you a break on the sugar tariff type of thing.

The problem is that in order for the U.S. to be an actor on the world stage those relationships must exist. And they do but the more of them you have the more place you have to start a dialogue and eventually bargain. Which is why recently we've been hamstrung. We don't have as many of those relationships with both the Egyptian or the Syrian governments as we'd like so influencing them without waving the big stick is hard.