National Security Council Essay

The recent path characterizing the US tribute policy is the gradual strengthening of the subscribe surety Council. Under G. scouring constitution this body gained significant world power and influence. In this paper Im going to investigate the reasons for this trend as well its advantages and disadvantages. In the international practice, National shelter Council is generally particularised as an decision netr body coordinating national protective covering measures issues.National guarantor Council consists of the heads of departments touch on in diplomacy and defense with a relatively small enumerate of staff members. The US National certificate Council was established in 1947 and comfortably amended in 1949 the same year it was placed in the administrator Office of the death chair. The powers and influence of the US NSC has been gradually increasing during the second one-half of the 20th centuries this trend is evident presently, too.As for the structure of the co uncil, it is chaired by the chairperson and encompasses Vice Pre lieunt, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Assistant to the President for National certificate Affairs, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint honchos of Staff as the statutory multitude advisor to the Council, the Director of Central Intelligence as the intelligence advisor. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy redeem a right to be present at any merging of the Council early(a)s can be invited to attend NSC meeting if appropriate.The functions of the NSC are considering national security and contradictory policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. (National aegis Council official website, http//www. whitehouse. gov/nsc/) Every President made major or small(a) change in the powers and functions of the NSC in order to adjust it to his own counseling style. The ultimate goal of the NSC under pubic hair administration is to ensure collegiality among opposite departments coordinating military and diplomatic issues. But the functions of the NSC nowadays are ofttimes wider.The expert report that the NSC today conducts ongoing relations with the media, Congress, the American public, and outside(prenominal) governments. (Daalder & Destler, 2000, A New NSC for a New Administration, http//www. brookings. edu/comm/policybriefs/pb68. htm) Even the official sources define the Council as as a means of controlling and managing competing departments and its operation depended in no small degree upon the interpersonal chemistry amidst the President and his principal advisers and department heads. (Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, History of the National Security Council, http//www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/NSChistory. htm) The NSC is refered to as the key foreign policy player in every administration since John F. Kennedys. (Da alder & Destler) I strongly deem that the trend of NSC becoming more than influential reflects the general trend of presidential power becoming more authoritative. The fact that Condoleeza Rice rivals Colin Powell in influence is to a certain extent causes to the relations between Condoleeza Rice and the President.Another reason is that she had been an influential public figure in academic and political circles onward joining the NSC. Karl Inderfurth and Loch Johnson (2004, p. 180) in their book Fateful Decisions Inside the National Security Council states that Rice perhaps most closely resembles McGeorge Bundy, of the Kennedy Administration, who was the first non-invisible national-security adviser George Bush in the first National Security Presidential Directive declared that The NSC shall meet at my direction. (National Security Presidential Directive, 2001, http//www. fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1. htm) The positive side of it is that the President can quickly obtain a quali fied advice when needed. The negative side is that the NSC is an easy tool for controlling and redefining diplomatic and military policy of the county without consulting other major defense bodies.The same Directive states Except for those established by statute, other existing NSC interagency groups, ad hoc bodies, and executive committees are also abolished as of March 1, 2001, unless they are specifically reestablished as subordinate working groups indoors the new NSC system as of that date. George Bush adjusted the Council to his own necessarily approximately after a year in the office. This is one more important reason why the President relies more on the NSC than on traditional bureaucracy. The structure of the NSC is relatively transparent and clear it includes a particular(a) number of members, although it has grown in size recently and resembles a governmental agency rather than an advisory committee. I would like to elaborate on another factor that contributes to the si tuation with the NSC.After the tragic events of 9/11 George Bush established the Office of Homeland Security under the regime of Tom Ridge, the Presidents close friend. The functions of the NSC and the OHS often overlap the supposition of the NSC becoming hegemonic in the sphere of homeland security decreased. Still, its role in the national security is hard to overestimate. Daalder & Destler (2000) propose a clear reheel of reasons why the NSC evolved in the key agent in defence and foreign policy.They state that it was caused by the half-century development and legitimization of the NSC as presidential coordinator for mainstream national security issuesandthe post-cold war expansion of the foreign policy agenda, with more issues that require coordination crosswise more agenciesandthe deepening of partisanship in Washington, particularly over the stand firm decade. Its hard to give a solely positive or negative evaluation of this trend. From one angle, the NSC is flexible and is able to react cursorily to any security threat.It may seem rational to grant unreasonable powers to the NSC. There would be no need to employ the bureaucratic utensil of numerous agencies dealing with diplomacy, military aspects and homeland security. The NSC should be organized in such a way so that the president can make clear foreign policy choices in a timely manner. (Daalder & Destler ) Daalder & Destler study emphasises that the NSC major task is integrating the US foreign and defence policy, and its of high importance in the era of global terrorism.From another angle, the NSC is ply by the President, and there exists much space for manipulation. Recently, the NSC doesnt manage expeditiously with coordinating the national security bodies. For instance, some tension exists in relations between the NSC and the agencies like CIA. Now let me proceed with drawing the final examination conclusion of the paper. There exists a clear trend of the National Security Council becom ing more influential and powerful under the George Bush administration this happens for compelling reasons.The positive or negative evaluation of his trend by and large depends on the degree of efficiency of the NSC organization and functioning.References 1. The White House, National Security Council http//www. whitehouse. gov/nsc/ Last accessed 15 Oct 2004 2. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States department of State, History of the National Security Council, 1947-1997 http//www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/NSChistory. htm Last accessed 15 Oct 2004 3.National Security Presidential Directive, February 13, 2001 http//www. fas. org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1. htm Last accessed 15 Oct 2004 4.The Brookings Institution, Foreign Policy Studies, Daalder, I. H. , Destler, I. M. , A New NSC for a New Administration, Nov 2000 http//www. brookings. edu/comm/policybriefs/pb68. htm Last accessed 15 Oct 2004 5. Inderfurth, K. F. , Johnson, L. K. 2004. Fateful Decisions Inside the National Security Council. Oxford University Press.