An inside look at how congressional deference to the presidency and State Department has led to such foreign policy failures as Somalia, Bosnia and Iraq.

Arguing that 'Congress has substantially ceded its fundamental constitutional role in foreign policy, ' Stephen R. Weissman reveals how Congress's acquiescence to the president and special interests in foreign policy has caused American interests to suffer around the globe. A Culture of Deference offers a behind-the-scenes look at how policy decisions are made--and not made--in Washington.