350 WRIGHT— POWER TO MAKE POLITICAL DECISIONS. 



are all at the discretion of the President. Furthermore, many agree- 

 ments of a temporary or purely executive or military character may 

 be made by him without consulting the Senate at all. 



While executive agreements usually terminate with the passing 

 from office of the President under whose authority they were nego- 

 tiated, or the repeal of the statute on which they were founded, this 

 would not be true of agreements transferring a lease or other title 

 to territory for a term of years or perm.anently. Treaties may be 

 terminated as municipal law by legislative abrogation or judicial 

 recognition of their obsolescence under principles of international 

 law, but the international obligation may be ended only by operation 

 of international law recognized by the President, by legislative de- 

 nunciation of a voidable treaty, or by denunciation under the terms 

 of the treaty itself by the President acting ordinarily with consent 

 of the Senate or Cona^ress. 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Power to Make Political Decisions in Foreign Affairs, 



Recognition, Annexation, Citizenship and the 



Determination of Policy. 



189. Distinction Between Domestic and Foreign Affairs. 



The meeting of international responsibilities and the making of 

 international agreements do not include all matters which have to 

 do with the conduct of foreign relations. Many decisions which 

 may be made by nations without the consent of other states and 

 practically without limitation by international law and treaty, affect 

 foreign nations very closely. The recognition of foreign states and 

 governments, the declaration of war and the proclamation of neu- 

 trality are examples which at once spring to the mind. This field 

 is, however, difficult accurately to define. There is hardly a law 

 passed by even a state legislature which may not affect a resident 

 alien and so under conceivable circumstances become a subject of 

 international discussion. Such matters, however, as the regulation 

 of foreign commerce, the control of immigration, the raising of 



