All military leaders report to and take orders from the president. It is important to note that the president performs this duty as a civilian. Examples of this role include deciding whether to bomb foreign cities or calling out the National Guard to stop a riot. The Chief Diplomat role gives the president the power to conduct unique agreements, commonly known as treaties, with heads of state. He acknowledges foreign governments, and under the advice and consent of the Senate, basically asserts these foreign governments as credible.
When those in power face challenges to their rule, conflict may force them to commit horrific acts of cruelty and repression. When a power-hungry leader faces conflict which poses a challenge to his/her position, he/she may resort to unthinkable acts to secure his/her position. The desire for power and fear of the consequences of losing power may force someone in a position of power to turn into a cruel dictator. During the 2011 Syrian uprising, Syria’s leader committed repeated human rights abuses to cling to his power. President Bashar al-Assad, a western-trained optician and once viewed as a reformer, ordered the military to fire on protesters, with nearly 3,000 killed in the conflict.
In theory a Prime Minister is Primus Inter Paras, he has a wide range of powers such as chairing the cabinet, appointing ministers and controlling the armed forces. A Prime Minister only holds the roll because they are a leader of a party. Issues such as policy disagreements and how to remove a Prime Minister will be discussed but ultimately it will be noted that currently the Liberal Democrats limit Cameron more than his own party. A party can remove a Prime Minister from their role as Prime Minister. This can be seen when looking at the two most powerful Prime Ministers in the post war era; Thatcher and Blair were in differing ways removed from their parties.
The Demise of Democracy 1. Since the dawn of man, humans have appointed rulers and leaders to govern and guide society and to enforce rules specific to society. Throughout history, political and social leaders have been revered, feared, and sometimes even worshiped. Politics have inspired the rise of many a great leader (Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill) and some leaders who created atrocious legacies for their society (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin). Whether it was through martial force, trickery, or legitimate election, one way or another these people came to power.
Whilst there are operating guidelines within which the president must follow, mainly the joint co-ordination and approval of Congress, to construct and enact (Hastedt, p169, 2009) these policies, going to war being the most significant, there are a number of tactics to overcome constitutional restraint. These tactics legally permit the same course of action as heavily censored bills and acts of government but with only the president’s authority necessary for implementation. Executive Agreements carry the weight of a Senate-approved treaty but require only presidential approval. The president can bypass the need for Senate approval and its subsequent influence on policy by appointing Informal Ambassadors to negotiate the same Senatorial tasks. A president can instigate or participate in an Undeclared War by citing the need for humanitarian action.
This is similar to the White House staff which is at the disposal of the US President. * Growing importance of the media in politics has contributed a greater concentration on the individual holder of office and portrays him as an individual spokesperson. Eg. Filming the prime minister giving statements outside 10 Downing Street, PM question time, these all indicate towards the notion of the prime minister as an individual * The growing importance of foreign and military affairs, which are dominated by the prime minister, has contributed to the presidential feel for the office. When the prime minister has to negotiate foreign powers and attend international conferences he appears presidential, this
Another example of a PM who did not dominate the political system is Major. The Tory party and cabinet were split and hence Major lacked support; therefore he encouraged discussions within cabinet meetings. However, in hindsight it should be noted that Major and Callaghan both lacked a majority in the House of Commons and had to seize all the support they could. Another way a PM dominated the political system is by running it as a PM government. This is a govt.
Along with the Senate, the President shares the power of making treaties and appointing ambassadors, judges and high officials. The President as well as the Congress as a whole takes responsibility for approving legislation. In addition to all of the powers listed above, the possible greatest source of presidential power comes from the opinion of the public and politics as a whole. One of the
As noted this was an important time and takes a considerable time of examination. Public opinion as discovered plays vital role in influencing presidential decisions and generally simulates the attitude and mentality of the American public on the wars. This is of course, holds a considerable weight that pulls on the executive branch and their decisions and policy, but members of the White House and other appointees have agenda of their own. These along with many other issues are observed and considered in the studies done. Public opinion also plays a statistical importance on the outlook on the wars and is also observed from an analytical position.
George Washington expressed a good point when he said “This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its roots in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed.” Washington is saying that as a human being in any government or in any argument, there are going to be several different good ideas, however there not all going to work. He believed that the division of the American people and government would cause foreign influence and corruption.