Foreign Policy Analysis – An overview Flashcards
What is Foreign Policy Analysis?
Foreign policy analysis is the study of the conduct and
practice of relations between different actors, primarily states, in the international system (Alden and Aran, chap. 1
How does the process of foreign policy decision-making affect the conduct of states in the international system and the relationship between agency, actors and foreign policy?
Methods largely from policy (and historical) studies (unlike IR)
A concise definition of foreign policy.
The sum of official external relations conducted by an independent actor (usually a state) in international relations (Hill 2003, p. 3)
Beyond high vs. low politics
I Political (objectives) and coherent (coordination)
An extended definition of Foreign Policy
FPA enquires into the motives and other sources of the behaviour of international actors, particularly states. It does this by giving a good deal of attention to decision-making, initially so as to probe behind the formal self-descriptions (and fictions) of the processes of government and public administration. In so doing it tests the plausible hypothesis that the outputs of foreign policy are to some degree determined by the nature of the decision-making process. (Hill 2003, p.10)
Whats the correlation between FPA and IR?
I IR sets out to interpret broad features of the international system
I ….Role and influence of (structural) constraints on international system
I FPA focuses on actual state conduct and sources of decisions
I ….Role for human agency to affect international system
I ….Partially normative (distinct from IR)
I …..Focus on foreign policy process, not just outcomes
I …..Greater analytical scope
Explain the structure agent debate and on what FPA places more emphasis?
What shapes human behaviour?
I Structure: Individuals are restricted by social structures and arrangements (determinism, macro, top down, social laws, predictable, generalisable)
I Agency: The capacity of individuals to act independently and make free choices (free will, bottom up, small scale, meaning,
symbols)
The debate: What is the world made up of?
I Does an individual acts as an autonomous agent or is s/he dictated by social structure (socialisation)?
Stronger emphasis on agency in FPA than in IR
I At least until constructivist turn in 1990s
What does a functioning state include?
Well functioning state includes
…..Set of institutions representing citizens
…..Constitutionalism
…..Recognition by international system
Two main functions
….Domestic policy
…..Foreign policy
What is Foreign Policy?
Depends on effectiveness of state at home and abroad
….Sovereignty is crucial (although not necessary)
…..Foreign and domestic policy cannot be abstracted
…..Interdependent process
…..Can be goals, strategies, measures, management methods, guidelines, directives, agreements, etc.
…..Should this be reduced to political entities (or states)?
What is the core functions of FP?
…..Protecting citizens abroad
….Projecting identity abroad
….Maintaining territorial integrity
…..Advancing prosperity
……Deciding on international interventions
……Negotiating stable international order
……Protecting the global commons
What are some notable shortcomings of Foreign Policy Analysis?
It does not provide a [grand] theory of the state
….The state is reduced to actors responsible for foreign policy
No meaningful incorporation of systemic changes following globalisation
….Same point of contention with IR
Little to no accounting for change in foreign policy
What is the Realist approach to Foreign Policy Analysis?
..Unitary state actor; no need to study its components
..Rational pursuit of ‘national interest’ is key
..Synonymous with power (Morgenthau)
..Centrality of power to sustain successful foreign policy
..Anarchic i’nat system guides interpretation foreign policy
..Little emphasis on decision-making or domestic behaviour
..FPA is reaction to classic realism
What is the Neo Realist approach to Foreign Policy Analysis?
..International system is top-down structure that represents a balanced power structure (Waltz)
..Rather deterministic (FPA proposes open interplay)
What is the Rational Choice approach to Foreign Policy Analysis?
..Power is a currency; strives towards equilibrium
..Assumption: States are unified actors
..Similar to realism
..Difficult to sustain empirically
..The pursuit of self-interest guides all decisions
What is the Bureaucratic politics (Graham Allison, Morton Halperin) approach to FPA?
Focus on individuals is too narrow
All individual decisions take place within institutional context
mportant role and contributions of specialised groups (e.g. ministries, departments, etc.)
Different bureaucratic structures can produce conflicting demands
Bureaucracies might reflect parochial concerns over ‘national interest’
….Following interplay between leaders, bureaucracy, culture and even factors outside the ‘formal’ state structure
Rethinking of the role of the state
What is the Behaviouralist (Robert Jervis, Harold & Margaret Sprout) approach to FPA?
The role of decision-making
…Understand the process of foreign policy-making
…Not only outcomes (like realism)
The role of decision-makers, the individuals
…Focus on psychological and cognitive factors
…These constrain rationality
Human actions challenge the state as unitary actor
