Which criticism describes interagency competition for control over foreign policy?

• A. Waste
• B. Duplication
• C. Imperialism
• D. Turf battles

Answer: (D)

Interagency turf battles describe the tendency of government departments to guard their own authority and fight for control of foreign policy, leading to internal power struggles that can slow decision-making and produce incoherent policy. This captures the idea that the criticism isn’t just about spending or duplicating work, but about agencies vying for influence and jurisdiction over key policy choices. When Defense, State, intelligence agencies, and others each push their preferred options and insist on their formal prerogatives, policy becomes a product of bargaining and prestige rather than a single, unified strategy. That dynamic explains why foreign policy can feel fragmented or inconsistent, with multiple voices pulling in competing directions.

Waste would focus on unnecessary costs, not the internal contest over who gets to shape policy. Duplication points to overlapping functions or redundant activities, which can accompany turf battles but is more about overlapping workloads than the motive of guarding authority. Imperialism involves extending power abroad, which is about a country’s objectives rather than the internal competition for control within the policymaking process.