International Agreements of the United States other than Treaties

One of the most obvious facts recognized by the student of politics is the increasing "internationality" of interests that is attendant upon our advancing civilization. International relations have become continually more complex and at the same time they have become more definite. Common administrative organs have been established in a number of ways in order to promote and regulate the development of common political and economic Interests. The very complexity has produced innumerable problems and indeed in many cases it has found its own solution. In the relations between the United States and foreign States our government has had to build up a satisfactory system of procedure. For after all, government is not based so much upon political theory as it is upon practice. The problem of the practical politician is not so much whether a method of doing a thing fits into his notion of governmental mechanics as a theoretical proposition. He is actually interested in these two questions: Is this procedure constitutional, and will it work well?It will be our task in this study to bring together the various types of foreign commitments of the United States and to classify them. At the same time we shall keep before our vision the two questions indicated. Let us view these international agreements into which the United States has entered in the light of constitutional law and at the same time in the light of practical international politics. There are occasions when municipal law and international agreements conflict. There are possible commitments that must meet the question of constitutionality. There may be the dilemma created by an illegal executive agreement with a foreign state.