Simulation-War Powers: President and Congress

Use formal writing style and Chicago style when applicable.

The paper requires you to integrate your simulation experience with a variety of course concepts. For example, part of the paper may ask you to describe conflicts between the President and Congress in the War Powers simulation and relate these to the way the Constitution defines (or leaves ambiguous) the foreign policy powers of each branch of government.

Please choose one prompt and answer. Your response should be between 4 and 5 pages double-spaced, with citations and proper formatting.

Prompts:

What “war powers” (both explicit and implied) does the Constitution give to the president? To Congress? Be specific, citing the exact language. How might some of this language be viewed as ambiguous (especially for limited military intervention) and responsible for disagreements between the president and Congress in the realm of war powers? How did these disagreements play out in your simulation? Be specific, citing presidential actions, legislation, and arguments as relevant.

In the arena of foreign policy, the president has historically been the dominant actor, with Congress often simply deferring to presidential wishes. What are the domestic political, practical, and national security related reasons why Congress would routinely defer to the president? What examples from your simulation illustrate these dynamics? Evaluate the validity of these reasons: which ones (if any) justify presidential dominance, and which ones (if any) don’t?

In your simulation, did the executive branch behave as a unitary rational actor, or did you find organizational interests and bureaucratic politics affecting decisions? (If you were not a member of the executive branch, you may need to speak with students who were

playing these roles to get their insights). Give specific examples from the simulation to support your claims.

What civil rights and liberties are guaranteed in the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments to the Constitution? What kinds of surveillance and counterterrorism policies are potentially in tension with these liberties? (Be specific, citing examples from your simulation). If you were a national security policymaker, how would you resolve these tensions

What Constitutionally based checks and balances did you observe between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government in this simulation? For example, were there cases in which one actor (e.g., the president) was trying to accomplish something but was blocked by another actor due to these institutional rules? What checks and balances seemed to be particularly important in shaping outcomes in your simulation? Did any of these seem too strong or weak? If so, what are the implications for the U.S. system of government?

In your simulation, how much effort, time, and resources did the president and members of Congress devote to their reelection campaigns? What kinds of strategies did they use to try to increase their approval ratings and win reelection? What factors seemed particularly important in driving gains and losses in candidates’ approval ratings? Which of these factors were within their control or beyond their control?

In what ways can the news media shape the national debate and affect public approval of specific political leaders and policies? Think about both (a) the media’s decisions regarding what topics/events to cover and (b) the media’s decisions regarding how to cover these topics. Give specific examples from your simulation of ways the news media influenced political outcomes or failed to do so.