In mere days, the United States will vote once again to elect a president to a four year term. The race is effectively a dead heat and could go either way.

No matter which candidate we elect, they will inherit what’s arguably the most powerful office in the world. I would make the argument that it’s too powerful, particularly in the realm of foreign policy.

On the domestic side, there are no particular limitations on their ability to pardon those convicted of crimes, even in cases of extreme conflicts of interest. Coupled with a recent Supreme Court ruling, there is rampant room for abuse of power.

There are very few cases where the president is restricted in matters of foreign policy. In fact, one could argue that the president is the author of America’s foreign policy, with congress relegated to little more than an editorial role.

They can enter the United States into international agreements, and shred those same agreements just as easily. Fortunately, actual ratification of a treaty still requires the support of congress.

They can launch military actions without congress’s consent, though in theory congress could reign them in after the fact. That is seldom the case. The original idea that only congress can declare war has become little more than a distant memory.

They have wide authority to impose (comically ineffective) sanctions and tariffs as they see fit.

I’ve long felt that the United States executive branch has grown far too powerful, particularly in relation to the legislative one. Unfortunately, there are very few presidents who adopt a goal of reducing executive power. Go figure.

For those curious to know more, this Wikipedia article presents a pretty good overview of the current and historic powers of the presidency.