Analyzing the Role of Congress in the United States Foreign Policy During the Biden Administration

The Democratic Party won a narrow victory in January 2021, forming the 117th US Congress. Joe Biden's success in the presidential election and his desire to revive JCPOA profoundly influenced the US Congress, especially the Republicans. Considering the Congress's vital role in the formation of foreign policy through permissions to establish legal infrastructure, regulations, and supervisory practices, this study explored how exactly the legislative practices of the 117th US Congress affected the US foreign policy orientation against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both domestic institutions and international factors affect the formation of the US foreign policy. Based on a Neo-Classical Realist approach, this study demonstrated that the 117th Congress, influenced by the Zionist lobby, has extensively attempted to counteract the Biden Administration's efforts to revive the JCPOA. Moreover, Congress pushed for restrictions on Iran's missile program, drone advancements, and regional presence by introducing obligatory reporting processes for the aforementioned purposes in Congressional bills and regulations. Accordingly, the US Congress has actively advocated for the prevention of Iranian oil trade, despite the opportunities created after the Russian sanctions. Similarly, the US Congress has used its authority to support Iranian demonstrators, denounce how they were treated by Iran's government, and put pressure on the US government to free political prisoners.

Introduction

The US Congress plays a major role in the formation of the US foreign policy approach to Iran based on its legislative and supervisory power over the US administration. The US Congress has built the necessary legal framework and authorized measures over time to successfully impose sanctions on Iran. In addition to passing anti-Iranian laws like ISA, INARA, and KATSA, it has greatly influenced diplomatic relations with Iran. The Congress has also funded and authorized US businesses to target Iran's political and economic interests. The US Congress can easily take advantage of legislative measures and budget allocation procedures to impose stringent restrictions on operations of the US administration, including foreign policy affairs. This study aims to investigate the role of the 117^th US Congress and its effect on the US foreign policy orientation to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Theoretical Framework

Unlike the neorealist approach, the neoclassical approach considers different factors from several layers and is not restricted to international constituents. Rather, the neoclassical perspective acknowledges that a country's foreign policy may be influenced and redirected by its relationship with other states and societies, strategic culture, the personal opinions of its leaders, and domestic institutions. Considering the multiplicity of influential factors, it can be concluded that decision-making is a complicated process that is rigorously constrained and strongly influenced by domestic politics. Accordingly, neoclassical realism prescribes revisiting two different analytical layers; while the international layer is considered an analytical priority, the domestic environment gains momentum as an intervening variable. Instead of proposing a general theory of international politics, neoclassical realism intends to investigate the foreign policy behaviors of given states. Focusing on state interventions and mediations in foreign policy, neoclassical realism views states as vertical entities where systemic factors play an important role in shaping foreign policy behaviors. Building on neoclassical realism, this study investigates the legislative role of the 117^th US Congress and its effect on the US foreign policy orientation toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methodology

This descriptive-analytical study employed the above-mentioned theoretical framework to investigate the role of American domestic institutions in the US foreign policy. Thus, the main research question was how the legislative conduct of the 117^th US Congress influenced the foreign policy orientation of the Biden Administration toward the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Results & Discussion

Legislative measures of the US Congress account for the most important factor affecting the US foreign policy by generating executive limits, commitments, and requirements in the foreign policy exercises. The US Congress can direct the foreign policy approaches of the US government by ratifying specific acts. Additionally, Congress has the constitutional authority to oversee the US government's executive branch, including its foreign policy decisions. The 117^th Congress has passed 54 bills and 23 resolutions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Among them, 36 bills and 16 resolutions were passed by the House of Representatives and 18 bills and 7 resolutions were passed by the Senate. The party-wise distribution of the bills and resolutions denotes a substantial difference; the Republicans have actively organized 48 bills and 13 resolutions against Iran, whereas the Democrats were the main organizers of 8 bills and 10 resolutions. Four broad topics have been covered by these US Congress legislative measures, i.e., “preventing Biden’s return to JCPOA”, “Iranian missile and drone programs”, “regional influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, and “human rights”. Statistically, Congress has passed 19 bills and 9 resolutions to prevent Biden’s possible return to JCPOA, 6 bills and 3 resolutions to contain Iranian missile and drone programs, 11 bills and 2 resolutions to hinder the growing regional influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and 4 bills and 8 resolutions regarding the subjects of human rights. Considering the extensive efforts of the Israeli lobby against Iran, the study found a bipartisan consensus on all topics, except the JCPOA revival.

Conclusions & Suggestions

Based on neoclassical realism, the US Congress is one of the most important domestic political institutions affecting the US foreign policy. Congress has always taken advantage of its supervisory and legislative authority to influence foreign policy execution and decision-making processes. In particular, the 117^th Congress has introduced new restrictions on four key areas—nuclear activities, drones and missiles, regional influence, and human rights—in an effort to sway US foreign policy toward Iran. The main focus of anti-Iranian efforts in the 117^th Congress has been to prevent the Biden administration from potentially reviving the JCPOA. Consequently, the 117^th Congress sought to adopt several legislative measures to redirect the Biden administration’s foreign policy approach to JCPOA. First, any agreement with Iran was declared to be contingent upon US Congress approval. Second, Congress restricted the authority of the US president in lifting or wavering sanctions to diminish the imagined interest of Iran in the talks and possible revival of the JCPOA. Furthermore, the 117^th Congress set a series of obligations for the Biden administration to impose several arms embargos, develop joint air defense systems with regional allies against Iranian missile and drone capabilities, encounter the regional influence of the Islamic Republic, and support internal unrest and demonstrations.