Foreign and Defense Policy in Congress: A Research Agenda for the 1990s

Since the end of the Vietnam War Congress has reclaimed a role for itself in the making of U.S. foreign and defense policy. Although the surge in congressional activism has attracted considerable normative commentary, political scientists have devoted relatively little effort to exploring the causes and consequences of Congress's renewed interest in foreign policy. To stimulate more empirical study in this area, this paper summarizes the existing work on foreign and defense policy in Congress and identifies opportunities for new research.