Meet the researchers: Congress and foreign policy

Interview with Dan Bresette

Political Science major Dan Bresette '01 talked about his senior thesis and his program here at Clark. (Since this interview, Dan has graduated and been appointed press secretary for Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords.)

Did you know you wanted to be a government major when you came to Clark?

Yes, I knew I wanted to study international relations. I had taken an AP history course in high school and we studied the Congress of Vienna. I became interested in old-fashioned diplomacy. Clark seemed to have a good program in Government and International Relations--several of my teachers had spoken well of it. I came here, decided that I liked the program and that government would be my major.

Did you participate in the Clark Center in Luxembourg? I know Professor Miller taught a class there.

No, but I lived in France during the fall semester of 1999 to study French. It helps me to know how other languages process thoughts. Actually I learned more about English grammar than French! Classes were at the University of Burgundy and we got to do some sightseeing as well.

After that I went to Washington, D.C. during summer 2000 as part of the Washington Center Program. I worked as a program associate at the State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. I assisted international visitors, made appointments and other arrangements for them, and sometimes accompanied them to appointments. Program participants also took a class about environmental policy. Professor Miller was in D. C. at the same time serving as a Supreme Court Fellow. We got together occasionally and played racquetball. I knew I wanted to do a senior thesis and he became my defacto advisor.

What is your research about?

Congress’s role in foreign policy during the Clinton administration. It begins with a historical overview of foreign policy from the Nixon 2^nd term to the elder Bush administrations, with examples of how congressional foreign policy changed during that period.

Why did you start with Nixon?

That’s when things started to happen – the time of the imperial presidency, the War Powers Act and the Case Act--when Congress started to become a little more assertive. Not that it ever really deferred to presidential authority, but that’s when some important legislation was passed. The president started thinking about more of a partnership with Congress.

In the third chapter I look at how Congress influences foreign policy in such contexts as those of budget appropriations and international agreements. During this time the Senate became more individualized and the House more partisan. In the fourth chapter I present several case studies such as: how defense policy has been influenced by senators and representatives, especially senators; and China—some senators refused to vote for permanent trade relations because of how China treats some of its citizens. In the concluding chapter I look at how Congress should be involved in foreign policy and what’s likely to happen with the new administration.

What do you mean by the Senate becoming more individualized?

The Senate protects minority rights through mechanisms such as the filibuster that don’t really exist in any other government. Only in the Senate can one person hold up the works. There are a lot more filibusters and threats to filibuster than there were in the past –although they’re not very TV friendly! A lot of senators have become very influential in certain areas. For example, Senator Leahy of Vermont used his influence with the Judiciary Committee in the international campaign to ban landmines. Senator Helms took it upon himself to reorganize the State Department. Those are two examples of how senators have taken very active roles in policy initiatives because of personal interests. Senator Gregg of New Hampshire, who for a long time really disliked the United Nations’s role in foreign policy, single-handedly kept the U. N. from receiving back dues owed to it by the U. S. With a 50-50 Senate it can be difficult to reach an agreement and individual views can have more impact.

Your thesis sounds like a huge topic!

Yes, it is. I’d originally become interested in Congress after an internship I’d done the summer after my sophomore year with Senator Jeffords of Vermont where I’m from. I worked in Jeffords’ district office in Montpelier and on his recent reelection campaign. It was awesome. I wrote a paper on international relations theory, especially game theory and how it relates to congressional office. When it came time to choose a thesis topic, I thought of congressional foreign policy. I don’t remember much about politics before 1993 other what’s on old Saturday Night Live shows! The only conscious memory I have of foreign policy is during the Clinton administration, especially after the Republicans gained a majority. It seemed an interesting and unusual mix of personalities in the way they worked and didn’t work together. Professor Miller recommended that I narrow the topic to congressional foreign policy.

So you must have some pretty strong opinions about what’s going to happen in the new Bush administration.

Luckily Colin Powell is there to help! With him there I can’t imagine anything will go too horribly wrong. But the 50-50 Senate with the moderate Republicans, the recent impeachment, the closest election in a long time, and aging senators really interests me. It’s a good time to be researching this topic.

It sounds like you’ve got plenty to keep you busy.

My video game playing has taken a hit lately –I’m not as good at Mario Kart 64 as I once was! I can hardly wait to walk out of Kinko’s with a big bound thesis. It’s cool to take on a topic that’s enormous.

Describe your working relationship with Professor Miller.

I try to meet with him regularly, and I’m also in his U. S. Congress class—he sees me both as a student and an advisee. He’s very personable and we’ve developed a pretty good working relationship. I’m very happy with him as an advisor.