Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis aims to measure President Barack Obama’s level of presidential agency in
foreign policy, in order to determine whether he will be able to achieve his ambitious goal of
renewing US leadership in foreign affairs. To do so, this thesis will make use of a two-level
analysis: The primary level of analysis will focus on the office of the president, and the
constitutionally determined formal powers it confers on the president. It will also study the
constraints placed on the president by the powers conferred on other branches of government, as
well as the institutional and societal context in which the president must function. The second
level of analysis will focus on the president as an individual, and the role that a number of
personality traits and informal powers play in presidential agency. The central hypothesis of this
thesis is that while all presidents are exposed to roughly the same set of institutional constraints,
an individual president’s level of agency depends on their utilisation of a number of informal
powers. In order to measure this hypothesis, a five-point framework will be developed by
abstracting from the existing literature on informal powers. This framework will consist of five
criteria believed to be a prerequisite for a high degree of presidential agency: (1) a favourable
disposition to foreign affairs; (2) the ability to provide strong leadership in policy formulation;
(3) a command over Pennsylvania Avenue politics; (4) the utilisation of the role of public
opinion maker; (5) and the utilisation of the role of global statesmen. While Obama will be
shown to do well against the framework, his lack of tangible accomplishments will be shown to
stem from the magnitude of the challenges he faces; the larger foreign policy context in which he
came to office; and the deep-seated distrust of the motives underlying US foreign policy in
certain regions. Furthermore, the time constraints he faces, and the impact of the election cycle,
will be identified as a limit to the pace of implementation and the extent of the changes he is able
to make. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om President Barack Obama se vlak van presidensiële
agentskap in buitelandse beleid te meet om te bepaal of hy sy ambisieuse doelwit om die VSA se
leierskap in buitelandse sake te hernu, sal bereik. ’n Tweevlakkige analise sal vir hierdie doel
aangewend word. Die analise sal op ’n primêre vlak fokus op die president as ampsdraer, en die
formele magte wat deur die grondwet aan hom toegeken word. Dit sal ook die beperkinge wat op
die president geplaas word as gevolg van die magte wat aan die ander takke van die regering
toegeken word, bestudeer. Verder sal die institusionele en maatskaplike konteks waarin die
president moet fuksioneer in ag geneem word. Die tweede vlak van analise sal op die president
as individu fokus, en die rol wat sekere informele magte en persoonlikheidseienskappe in
presidensiële agentskap speel. Die sentrale hipotese van hierdie tesis, is dat alhoewel alle
presidente deur dieselfde institusionele beperkinge geaffekteer word, ’n spesifieke president se
vlak van agentskap afhang van sy gebruik van informele magte. Hierdie hipotese sal gemeet
woord deur ’n vyfpuntraamwerk te ontwikkel wat gebruik maak van die bestaande literatuur op
presidensiële agentskap. Dié raamwerk bestaan uit vyf kriteria wat benodig word om ’n hoë vlak
van agentskap te handhaaf: (1) ’n positiewe gesindheid teenoor buitelandse sake; (2) die vermoë
om sterk leierskap in die beleidsformuleringsproses uit te oefen; (3) meesterskap oor
Pennsyvanie Avenue politiek; (4) die gebruik van die rol van openbare ’n opinie maker; (5) en
die gebruik van die rol van ’n globale staatsman. Die tesis sal wys dat alhoewel Obama
suksesvol is wanneer hy teen die raamwerk gemeet word, sy tekort aan prestasies toegeskryf kan
word aan die omvang van die probleme wat hy moet oplos; die groter buitelandse konteks
waarin hy verkies is; en die wantroue in die VSA se onderliggende motiewe in sekere streke.
Verder sal die tydsbeperkinge op sy presidentskap en die impak van die verkiesingsiklus
geïdentifiseer word as ’n bepreking op die spoed waarteen hy veranderinge kan implementeer.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6819 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Coetzee, Andre Francois |
| Contributors | Smith, Karen, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Format | viii, 94 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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