ISSUE 5 Does the President Have Unilateral War Powers? I found this to be an interesting issue about the President having unilateral war powers. I can definitely see the “grey” area and reason for this issue to arise. As stated in the book, the confusion/conflict comes from the constitution and how it’s written. In summary, the Congress is given the power to declare war and “to raise and support armies”, but the president is authorized to serve as commander-in-chief of the armed forces “when called into actual service of the United States.” This means the President has the power to move troops where he deems fit regardless of congress.
Despite some advances and indications of stability, the aspects of East Germany that are considered to show instability carry far too much weight to be overlooked. Perhaps the greatest show of stability in this period was the economy. By putting a great emphasis on the importance and consequential growth of heavy industry in the GDR there was a huge increase in industrial production, which set the base for East German economic growth. Ulbricht raised quotas of industrial production by 55%, showing the power of heavy industry and its key role in improving the economy. Collectivisation of agricultural industry meant that required industrial quotas could be achieved, and produced a much more efficient and effective industry.
To what extent can the Congress and the Supreme Court limit the powers of the President? In the United States of America, the government is divided into three main branches; The Executive Branch- which the President belongs to, Legislative Branch made up on the Congress and finally the Judicial Function – The Supreme Court. The President is the most powerful person in the USA but his power is held in check by the Congress and The Supreme Court. If these institutions don’t like what the President intends to do then they have the power to prevent him. The Presidents greatest powers lie within foreign policy.
These events caused what appears to be a strengthened Anglo-American relationship, and made it appear as ‘peaceful and harmonious’ however, there are other factors which must be considered by historians in order to solve this question. Speaking in terms of economics, it is likely that the relationship between the colonies and the mother country can be described as ‘peaceful and harmonious.’ Leading up to 1763, Britain had started to fully accelerate in the industrial revolution. This of course meant that Britain needed to Import lots of raw materials, and export a high quantity of manufactured goods. This was good for the American colonies, as it had a huge amount of raw material, and needed more manufactured goods, almost creating a perfect trade scenario between it and the mother country. In addition to this, the idea of mercantilism meant that American trade was protected by Britain, and this was advantageous as Britain was one of the strongest economic powers in the world at the time.
This enabled Germany to make regular easy payments. Eventually, this led to massive foreign investment in Germany. As a positive multiplier effect, factories were set up, jobs increased, unemployment declined, wealth was created and standard of living improved. Germany had begun to establish it’s stability as a nation. In addition to economic improvements, changes were made internationally, regarding foreign relations resulting in reclaiming their pride and status.
President Seven Vital Functions/Roles: 1. Chief Legislator- The president can recall Congress into a special session and can veto the bills passed by Congress. 2. Party Leader- It is the most important domestic role and the president is a symbolic leader for the party members and asserts influence in the party’s operations by selecting the national party chair and serving as the party’s premier fund-raiser. 3.
The principle organ of the US state is to legislate, represent and scrutinise the other, safely separated, branches of the government. First of the three elements in which Congress’s primary role plays is in legislation. The very first article of the Constitution lays out how this is done. Bills initiated by both the President and members of Congress are almost certain to be substantially modified as they go through the legislative process, making it very difficult for the President or any political faction to force through their policy agenda. Congress has been somewhat effective in passing laws such as the PATRIOTIC Act under Bush and the Healthcare Reform Act under Obama both show’s that Congress can legislate when it needs be, especially with a majority in both houses.
The President is elected by a voting process similar to those in Presidential systems. In order to become President in Russia, a candidate must receive 50% of votes or more. If this does not occur then the top two receivers of votes will have another election and the consequent winner becomes the President elect. In this type of system, the President acts as the head of state and with the approval of the Parliament he/she decides who should become the Prime Minister. The legislative power is instilled in the Federal Assembly,
Based on the theory of intergovernmentalism, the Franco-German partnership is the most vital and important in regard to power and influence in the EU, because both France and Germany are the founding members of the European Union, having strong economies and both have strong influence upon EU legislation due to these factors. The two countries want to remain sovereign and decisions are made by interstate treaties without spillover effects and supernational expansion. This belief that the Franco-German relationship is the most important also demonstrates of a positive European integration and a stable European Union. The belief that the EU is healthier with the Franco-German strong relationship comes from the intergovernmentalist point of view. The EU truly is integrated through an intergovernmentalist theory.
Scrutiny of the Executive: As governments tend to enjoy large parliamentary majorities, Parliamentary approval is rarely withheld. However, the House of Commons plays an important role in scrutinising the policies and actions of the government, in debates, parliamentary questions and within the influential cross-party select committees. In this particular respect, Parliament is representing interests of different groups of public, ensuring therefore that there is no unnecessary discrimination during legislative process. Both primary and secondary sources of legislation are subject to scrutiny, including international and EU legislation as well. Parliament is not expected to make substantial changes to such legislation but it is able to issue some warning or advise government about such legislation to be implemented.