- Browse by Issue: One of the oldest conflicts in the American
system of government is that between Congress and the President
over the right to formulate and implement foreign policy. Is the
President solely responsible for the conduct of external
relations? Is the Congress an equal partner? Or does Congress
have the right to shape U.S. policy by enacting legislation
which proscribes a President's flexibility? These are not just
debating points for historians and constitutional lawyers, but
critical issues which need to be addressed if we are to see the
successful exercise of American diplomacy in the 1980s. Our
effectiveness in dealing with the problems ahead, especially
U.S.-Soviet competition in the Third World, will depend to a
significant degree on our ability to resolve the adversary
relationship between the President and Congress. Fifty-two
Americans were taken hostage in Iran on November 4, 1979. Ten
days later, in circumstances to be related, President Carter
froze all assets of the government of Ir