Federalism in Foreign Policy

Since federalism refers to the combined oversight of a specific area by both federal and state governments, there are few examples of this in foreign policy, a distinctly federal issue. It is the federal government, not the states, that can declare war, mobilize a military force, and participate in foreign affairs, as designated by the Constitution. In the United Nations, for example, the entire United States is represented by delegates, which may not represent an individual state's wants. World politics, rather than purely US politics, views America as an entity, as opposed to an arrangement of quarreling regions.

There are, however, a few examples of states and federal powers overseeing the same topic. Illegal immigration is a foreign policy issue for both border states and the federal government. The propsed Arizona law would allow force aliens to carry their appropriate documentation, and allow law enforcement to check for said documentation. While this has cause much controversy between groups, the reasoning behind it is clear, since Arizona is a border state which deals with a large amount of illegal immigration. So while the federal government does its part to protect against illegal immigration, Arizona is also acting on its own for the same purpose.