How does a president’s management style affect the roles of different actors in the advisory system? Be specific in your answer and provide examples that support your response.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers should identify the management style—the procedures, working relationships, and standards of behavior among foreign policy advisers—of presidents can have a major impact on the conduct of foreign policy. The types of people chosen for advisory positions can impact the decision-making process, as each individual brings different experiences, history, attitudes, and knowledge to the position they serve. Answers should acknowledge how presidents assume a crucial role in mediating conflicts that may arise between advisers, coordinate the activities of the institutions they represent, and decide which of them will have the greatest influence over specific policy choices. Examples will vary, but may include selection of individuals for certain positions (such as Kissinger as Nixon’s NSA), varying relationships between different cabinet officials (such as the secretaries of state and defense), and the assignment of day-to-day responsibilities to specific advisers (even if those tasks could be assigned elsewhere).