Choosing to Lead

Shedding new light on how U.S. foreign policy is made, Ralph G. Carter and James M. Scott focus on congressional foreign policy entrepreneurs, the often unrecognized representatives and senators who take action on foreign policy matters rather than waiting for the executive branch to do so. These proactive members of Congress have undertaken many initiatives, including reaching out to Francos Spain, promoting dtente with the Soviet Union, proposing the return of the Panama Canal, seeking to ban military aid to Pinochets regime in Chile, pushing for military intervention in Haiti, and championing the recognition of Vietnam. In Choosing to Lead, Carter and Scott examine the characteristics, activities, and impact of foreign policy entrepreneurs since the end of the Second World War. In so doing, they show not only that individual members of Congress have long influenced the U.S. foreign policy-making process, but also that the number of foreign policy entrepreneurs has grown over time.