The bureaucratic politics model and the Philippine-American War

This thesis uses the Philippine-American War as a test case through which to examine the validity and utility of the bureaucratic politics explanatory model. The model seeks to provide an interpretive framework for the study of United States foreign relations. Its two main contentions are that individual policy preference is predictable from bureaucratic position and that bureaucratic factors have an adverse effect on policy implementation. These assertions were analyzed through an examination of United States policy regarding the Philippine-American War.

The research relied mainly on primary sources, such as diplomatic and military correspondence, as well as presidential papers. It was concluded that although bureaucratic position is not a reliable indicator of policy preference, bureaucratic factors do seem to hinder the implementation of American foreign policy.