11/23/2020
Sign-up link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvce2qqTopEt0vKIMDEpaFbdgfI4z5GEot
Since 9/11, the American presidency has grown in strength and reach. While many accused George W. Bush of acting in an overzealous manner, the expansive powers of the presidency have continued long after he left office. Barack Obama, facing a Congress unwilling to support most of his agenda, quickly adopted a philosophy that would allow him to operate without the added burden of significant congressional oversight. This led to what Rosa Brooks described in 2013 as “the executive branch claiming that it has the right to kill anyone anywhere on Earth at any time for secret reasons based on secret evidence in a secret process undertaken by unidentified officials.” Considering the recent lethal drone strike against Iranian General Soleimani, presidential unilateralism continues relatively unchecked. What, if anything, controls the actions of the President? In this talk, Dr Sarah Burns will discuss the implications of the imbalance between the branches and the incredible power of the presidency for the future of US Foreign Policy, a topic that grows ever more pressing during the Trump presidency.