Episode 4: How Does Int'l Law Get Incorporated into Presidential Decision-Making?

Drawing from her experiences serving at the White House and the State Department during the Obama Administration, Tess Bridgeman discusses how international law is incorporated into U.S. policy and decision-making at the highest levels, what we are seeing now under the Trump Administration, and what we can expect for the future. For one example, in an abrupt shift in policy, President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria in a video posted on Twitter, prompting confusion and public disagreement from allies, as well as President Trump’s own advisers. What do the latest national security and foreign policy decisions of Trump Administration, including President Trump’s decision on Syria and the most recent round of U.S. treaty withdrawals, tell us about the current state of U.S. national security and foreign policy-making processes? Guest: Tess Bridgeman, former Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to the President, Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, Special Assistant to the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State.