Speaking the Law: Chapter 4

In chapter 4, the authors discuss the Obama administration’s speeches in response to the NSA revelations made public by Edward Snowden and review the involvement of other branches of government in the legal framework described in the administration’s national security speeches. They explore the degree to which each branch is implicated in major aspects of the administration’s position. They also look at the degree to which the international system and its actors—other countries and international nongovernmental organizations—have had their voices heard, even though outsiders to the government, and have exerted leverage to influence it.