미국 민주주의의 사각지대

A Blind Spot in American Democracy: Separation of Power in Foreign Policy under Presidentialism

In this paper, I argue that the principle of separation of power in foreign policy under presidentialism invites a blind spot in American democracy. Although the Constitution specifies separation of power both in the conduct of domestic and foreign affairs, independent elections of President and legislators differentiate the kind of collective mandates on Capitol Hill from the unitary mandate bestowed upon President, thus prompting him to proclaim public leadership. The key to a successful governing, then, lies in the art of pursuing“separated institutions sharing powers” persistently. However, the realm of foreign affairs poses a more challenging task, both constitutionally and politically, than its counterpart in domestic policy. Furthermore, we came to witness a modern presidency whose relentless claim on mandate, or what is dubbed as judicialization of politics, was found irrelevant to the electoral outcome itself, thus creating a peril in constitutional presidency. In this paper, I explore this paradox in American democracy by comparing across constitutional and political sources of such claims.