While this century has witnessed large-scale attempts to actualize political Utopias, the study of such regimes is as old as political philosophy. The most famous of such imaginary republics is More's Utopia. In the form of a dialogue, Utopia presents the best regime of a philosophic character, Raphael Hythlodaeus. In constructing a regime based on the belief that happiness consists in the acquisition of pleasure, Utopia presents one of the first proposals for political hedonism. While the Utopian understanding of happiness restricts their pursuit of pleasure to those austere pleasures which are natural, their hedonism nevertheless causes problems which require strict political control. More important, an analysis of the text reveals that the Utopian understanding of the requirements of human nature is simplistic. Thus, the proper understanding of the dialogue reveals that More's purpose is not to recommend such radical change but to show the dangers of such idealistic proposals.

This essay strives to counter conventional wisdom about the alleged secondary role of Congress in foreign policymaking. With the post-Vietnam era serving as the immediate backdrop, certain “lessons” are drawn regarding postwar congressional ascendency, both in terms of procedural manifestations and policy outcomes. A central conclusion is that Congress will always remain an essential component in the decision-making process, becoming involved in substantive policy on a selective basis. Some sixteen variables affecting the degree of involvement and likelihood of success are identified and rank ordered. The entire process of congressional-executive relations in foreign policymaking is ultimately viewed as highly untidy but fairly effective in maintaining some semblance of institutional balance throughout history.