A couple weeks ago, I wrote “Diplomatic Recognition for Kosovo,” in which I discussed the US President’s power to extend diplomatic recognition to foreign states. In response, Steven Searle, a Chicago-based write-in candidate for President, wrote “Kosovo and US Presidential Power.”
In this essay, Searle contends that the US Constitution does NOT grant the US President the sole choice of extending or canceling diplomatic recognition of foreign states. He asks “why should we assume that the power to make the ultimate form of treaty (diplomatic recognition) should rest solely in the hands of the President?” He goes on to ask “[i]f …read more

With the US presidential season in full swing and the recent political events in Cuba and Pakistan, Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. The US has long supported this move, and earlier this week, the US was one of the first countries to officially recognize the independent state of Kosovo. So how did that happen? How does the US recognize the existence of a foreign country?
According to Article 2, Section 3 of the US Constitution, the President of the United States has the power to “…receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers.”
This means that the US President has the power to …read more