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The conventional narrative about the role of the US Senate tends to discount its role in US foreign policy, despite its constitutional powers in the foreign affairs arena. At times, conventional wisdom about a deferential legislature applies to the Senate, but in other instances such characterizations are inadequate. In the contemporary context, Senate engagement in US foreign policy ranges from “spectating” to “steering” and demands a more nuanced and sophisticated analytical framework to make sense of the different patterns. This article establishes an alternative framework with which to explain the activity, role, and influence of the US Senate in contemporary US foreign policy. Once the nature and context of the Senate and the major historical forces and factors shaping its activities and its interactions with the executive branch are understood, contemporary Senate foreign policy activity comes into sharper relief, as a combination of compliance, competition, and confrontation.