--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While the statutory members of the NSC…" description: "\"While the statutory members of the NSC, in some cases, run departments that execute foreign policy, the NSC staff at the White House was intended to co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/robert-c-o-brien-5596_foreign-policy_while-the-statutory-members-of-the-nsc-i_2559337.jpg" --- # While the statutory members of the NSC, in some cases, run… ![“While the statutory members of the NSC, in some cases, run departments that execute foreign policy, the NSC staff at the White House was intended to coordinate policy rather than run it.” quote by Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/robert-c-o-brien-5596_foreign-policy_while-the-statutory-members-of-the-nsc-i_2559337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/robert-c-o-brien-5596_foreign-policy_while-the-statutory-members-of-the-nsc-i_2559337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/robert-c-o-brien-5596_foreign-policy_while-the-statutory-members-of-the-nsc-i_2559337.jpg) > “While the statutory members of the NSC, in some cases, run departments that execute foreign policy, the NSC staff at the White House was intended to coordinate policy rather than run it.” [Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The NSC staff is meant to coordinate policy, not execute it, despite some members leading operational departments. **In simple terms:** NSC staff should coordinate, not run policy. Key Takeaway Clarify roles within policy teams. Themes government policy coordination authority Mood analytical formal Type political educational When to use this quote - policy meetings - interagency briefings - government reforms Key Concepts political science administration Questions to Reflect On - How can coordination be improved? - What checks prevent overreach? A Different Perspective Blurred lines can cause inefficiency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [The NSC staff should not, as it has in the past, duplicate the work of military officers, diplomats or intelligence officers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-o-brien/the-nsc-staff-should-not-as-it-has-in-the-past-duplicate-the-work-of/) [Robert C. 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Climate change and public health are the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/21st-century-foreign-policy-is-going-to-be-built-on-countries-that/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [The next president needs to know foreign policy and not learn it on the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-next-president-needs-to-know-foreign-policy-and-not-learn-it-on/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-reality-is-that-our-military-presence-on-foreign-soil-is-as/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [We have come a long way in terms of foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-raffarin/we-have-come-a-long-way-in-terms-of-foreign-policy/) [Jean-Pierre Raffarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-raffarin/) > [ \[A\]n Obama presidency would be an amusing approximation of the Carter administration, complete with vaporous moralizing and foreign policy bungling. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-tyrrell/a-n-obama-presidency-would-be-an-amusing-approximation-of-the-carter/) [Emmett Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-tyrrell/) > [From a German point of view, German-American and European-American relations are a pillar of our foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/from-a-german-point-of-view-german-american-and-european-american/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [Trump's biggest success in his first term has been his foreign policy agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/trump-s-biggest-success-in-his-first-term-has-been-his-foreign-policy/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [I don't just denounce suicide bombers. 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