PS: Political Science & Politics

Table of Contents - July 2009 - Volume 42, Issue 03  

Features

Congress and Foreign Policy: Congressional Action on the Darfur Genocide

Joseph Uscinskia1, Michael S. Roccaa2, Gabriel R. Sancheza2 and Marina Brendena3

a1 University of Miami

a2 University of New Mexico

a3 University of Southern California

ABSTRACT

As of January 2008, more than 400,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million people have been displaced in the regions of Darfur and Chad. This event has not gone unnoticed in the United States, as the 109th United States Congress (2005–2006) considered several measures in the House of Representatives to provide funding and peacekeeping forces to quell the violence in Darfur. The goal of this article is to explain individual members' of Congress (MCs') support for Darfur legislation by examining the influence of their individual, district, and institutional characteristics. The Darfur case provides the opportunity to analyze factors critical to congressional behavior in a context where there is reason to expect an MC's usual set of incentives—e.g., reelection and adherence to party—to be less prominent. In all, we contribute to congressional and foreign policy research by parceling out the determinants of congressional support for foreign policy in comparison to domestic policy.

Joseph Uscinski earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. He is currently assistant professor of political science at University of Miami. He studies political communication and public opinion. His e-mail address is uscinski@miami.edu.

Michael Rocca is assistant professor of political science at University of New Mexico. He earned his Ph.D. at University of California, Davis. He studies Congressional behavior. His e-mail address is msrocca@unm.edu.

Gabriel Sanchez is assistant professor of political science at University of New Mexico. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. He studies race and ethnic politics. His e-mail address is sanchezg@unm.edu.

Marina Brenden is a 2008 graduate of University of San Diego. Her e-mail address is marinabrenden@gmail.com.

Footnotes

Please direct inquiries and requests for data to: Joseph Uscinski, 5250 University Drive, 314 Jenkins Bldg., University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146 or Uscinski@miami.edu. The authors would like to thank Greg Koger, Casey Klofstad, Merike Blofield, Louise Davidson-Schmich, Elise Giuliano, Roger Kanet, and the three anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions. All errors remain the fault of the authors.

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