Officers 2010-11:
President: Frances E. Lee, University of Maryland
President-Elect: Don Wolfensberger, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Secretary-Treasurer: Michael Brintnall, American Political Science Association

Council:
2010-12
David Karol, American University and Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Michael P. McDonald, George Mason University and the Brookings Institution.
J. Brinton Rowdybush, U.S. Department of State

2011-13
James Desveaux, UCLA-Washington Program, UCDC
John Sides, The George Washington University
Julie Taylor, RAND Corporation

Membership:

2011-12 Membership Form

Contact Information:
NCAPSA
1527 New Hampshire Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
ncapsa@apsanet.org

Upcoming NCAPSA Events:

Congress's Influence on Foreign Policy:
For Better or Worse?

Cosponsored by
The Congress Project, Woodrow Wilson Center, and
The National Capital Area Political Science Association

Monday, October 17, 2011
4:00-6:00 p.m., Fifth Floor Conference Room
Woodrow Wilson Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
Washington, D.C. 20004

RSVP acceptances only to congress@wilsoncenter.org.

Many Americans think the president is the sole formulator and executor of American foreign policy, and that Congress plays an oversight role at best or a unwelcome, meddlesome role at worst. What they fail to appreciate is that the founders intended for this governmental power to be shared between the branches as much as domestic policy making. Indeed, they gave Congress a primary role in regulating commerce with other nations, punishing piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and offenses against the law of nations, declaring war and granting letters of marque and reprisal, and making rules concerning captures on land and water. Moreover, the Senate has a unique role in giving its advice and consent to treaties and in approving the appointment of ambassadors and consuls. Finally, no money can be drawn from the treasury in support of the foreign relations of the United States except by appropriations originated by Congress. Since the emergence of the US as a global power in the 20th century, and with it the modern presidency, Congress has assumed a more secondary role in foreign affairs and has either delegated or abdicated many of its foreign affairs and war powers to presidents. What role if any does Congress continue to play in the making of foreign policy, and is it a positive or negative influence on the image and effectiveness of the US abroad? This panel will explore the current role of the US Congress in foreign policy from a historical perspective and look ahead to 21st century challenges.

Panelists:

• Former congressman Richard Gephardt (D-MO), president & CEO, Gephardt Government Affairs
• Former senator John E. Sununu (R-NH), senior policy advisor, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
• James M. Lindsay, senior vice president, the Council on Foreign Relations
• Gail Russell Chaddock, staff writer, The Christian Science Monitor
• Moderator: Don Wolfensberger, director, The Congress Project

Contact us if you have any ideas or suggests for a future NCAPSA event at ncapsa@apsanet.org.

Previous NCAPSA Events:

Author Book Discussion:

Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House
Featuring Mr. Kenneth WalshJune 7, 2011
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Mr. Kenneth Walsh will speak about his recently published book, Family of Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House. The book examines racial attitudes and policies from George Washington to Barack Obama.

Mr. Walsh has covered the White House since 1986 and is former president of the White House Correspondents' Association. He has written five books on aspects of the presidency and is an adjunct professor of communication at American University.

Author Book Discussion: Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to PolicyFeaturing Dr. Stephen Wandner
May 26, 2011

Dr. Stephen Wandner spoke about Solving the Reemployment Puzzle: From Research to Policy, which won the 2010 Richard A. Lester Prize for the Outstanding Book in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations from the Industrial Relations Section at Princeton University. The book provides an insider's perspective into both the Clinton and Bush administrations' policies toward joblessness and reemployment, and the social science behind them.

Dr. Wandner, formerly a senior economist at the US Department of Labor, is currently a visiting fellow at the Center of Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute.