Who Makes U.S. Foreign Policy?

The president has certain Constitutional responsibilities for America's relationship with the rest of the world. Among other things, he is commander-in-chief of the military, which gives him (or her) a lot of control over how the United States interacts with the world.

The president can also sign treaties and appoint ambassadors, but those actions require the consent of the U.S. Senate. Congress gets involved in foreign policy in other ways. And so do state and local governments, think tanks, nongovernmental organizations and more.

So who really makes U.S. foreign policy?