Part One: U.S. strategy in the 21st century: leadership through hegemony
Chapter IV: Funding for U.S. International Policy
Procedure and Terms
Funding for international affairs is included in Function 150 of the Federal budget. The Office of the Secretary of State Resources, Plans, and Policy initially puts this part together. It is then passed on to the president’s administration, where the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plays the main role. After presidential approval of the entire budget, the documents are submitted to Congress for debate. The international policy part is discussed in subcommittees: foreign operations, commerce, justice, state, judiciary and related agencies, agriculture and rural development, and labor, health, and human services. It is then returned to the administration for finishing and signing. The whole process follows a prescribed time frame and deadlines.
Funding for international affairs is spread over programs administered by four Departments (State, Treasury, Defense [Defense Security Cooperation Agency], and Agriculture); seven independent agencies (U.S. Agency for International Development, Export-Import Bank, International Trade Commission, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Peace Corps, Trade and Development Agency, and U.S. Institute of Peace); and three foundations (African Development Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and the Inter-American Foundation).
Keep in mind that although the international affairs section contains the funding item “international security,” it only encompasses part of national security. As explained by Ambassador Craig Johnstone, director of the Office of Resources, Plans, and Policy within the Department of State, national security activities encompass the spheres of interaction with allies, the Middle East peace process, prevention of proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, support for peacekeeping forces (in particular in Kosovo and Bosnia), and also “what we do with respect to the former Soviet Union and the states of the former Soviet Union, in terms of trying to encourage their transition to democracy.”58 By the way, this item accounts for almost 44 percent of the entire international affairs budget. The lion’s share of the funding for international security is channeled through the national defense budget (Function 050). Several national security items are also included in the Department of Energy budget.
To understand what exactly is funded under the label International Affairs, one should know the difference between it and the term foreign policy. This difference is pointed out, in particular, in SP 1999; excerpts from this plan have been quoted in the previous chapter.59 It also contains a list of U.S. national interests.
58 See U.S. Department of State, On-the-Record Briefing on FY 2000 Budget as Released by the Office of the Spokesman (Washington, D.C., February 1, 1999). This is available online at the following URL: http://www.state.gov/www/policy_r…1999/990201_johnstone_budget.html.
59 This document also specifies the differences between the terms “interests” and “strategic goals.” It should be stressed that in general, Americans like terminological clarity, especially in their official documents.
The 21st Century: The World Without Russia
(Philosophical-sociological Essay)