The first edition of Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy is one of the most successful Brookings titles of all time. Government agencies, departments, and individuals all have certain interests to preserve and promote. Those priorities, and the conflicts they sometimes spark, heavily influence the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. A decision that looks like an orchestrated attempt to influence another country may in fact represent a shaky compromise between rival elements within the U.S. government. The authors provide numerous examples of bureaucratic maneuvering and reveal how they have influenced our international relations.
About the Author: Morton H. Halperin is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and director of U.S. advocacy for the Open Society Institute. He served in the federal government in the Clinton, Nixon, and Johnson administrations, most recently from December 1998 to January 2001 as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State. Priscilla Clapp served nearly thirty years in government under six presidents, mostly in the State Department and overseas. Arnold Kanter is a principal and founding member of the Scowcroft Group. He has served in several capacities in government, including Special Assistant to the President and Under Secretary of State.
