Midterm Study Flashcards
External/Systemic Factors
Power structure of the international system, global public opinion, reaction of state actors and international-level organizations, economic realities, international norms
Allison Three Models - Rational Policy Model
Rational Policy Model - Clarify goals, order importance, list alternatives, investigate consequences, choose course of action that will produce best outcome. Value Maximizing Choice.
Allison Three Models - Organizational Process Model
Standard patterns of behavior. Less deliberate choices of leaders as much as the outputs of large organizations.. Usually skips the labor-intensive parts of processing (analyzing goals/alternative actions) - uses standard procedure instead
Allison Three Models - Bureaucratic Politics Model
FP decisions can be results from bargaining between different government agencies. Bureaucracies are efficient and rational because they assign responsibility for different tasks. Government decisions in this model not made by rational choice but pulling and hauling between agencies.
Richard C. Snyder, H.W. Bruck, and Burton Sapin, Decision-Making as an Approach to the Study of International Politics
Organizational decision-making is a sequence of events, involving both pre-evaluation, choice, and implementation. It involves a response to changes at the state, internal, and finally decisionmakers’ levels. What actions arise from decisionmaking are the outputs of this system.
Foreign Policy Sources - External/Systematic Factors
Structure of system, characteristics of world economy, purposes and notions of other actors, global and regional problems, international law, world opinion
Foreign Policy Sources - Domestic Factors
Socioeconomic/security needs, geographic characteristics, government structure, public opinion, national attributes, bureaucracy, ethical considerations
Harold Sprout and Margaret Sprout, Man-Milieu Relationship Hypothesis in the Context of International Politics (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1957).
Decisionmaking is a psychologically-oriented process. The psych-milieu (the psychological, situational, political, and social contests) affects how decisions are made. Incongruities between the perceived and real operational environments can lead to unsatisfactory outcomes.
James N. Rosenau, “Pre-theories and Theories of Foreign Policy” (1966)
General framework for FP analysis. Suggests there is a middle ground between the individual and systemic levels in explaining outcomes. All analyses are using individual, role, governmental, societal, and systemic variables
Operational Codes
Organizations are affected by the individuals’ cognitive process and personal beliefs. For example, Merkel’s perception of Germany and the EU as a peace power plays a role in her decision to accept refugees. George Bush’s conservative Christian values influenced his perceptions of other actors, such as saying they are with or against the U.S.
Hermann’s Four Types of Personal Characteristics
Margaret Hermann, 1980. Beliefs, motives, decision style, interpersonal style. Beliefs - Christianity for example. Motives - Retaining power, gaining approval. Decision style - Leaders have different cognitive ways of dealing with a problem, like if they prefer more or less risk - utilizing advice in one way or another. Interpersonal style - how a policymaker deals with other policymakers. Hitler/Stalin were notoriously ruthless towards anyone who was or could become one of their peers.
Holsti’s Role Conceptions, 1970
The way nations behave can be largely based on their perceived roles, which is affected by how the outside world treats them as well as internal culture, the desires of leadership. The U.S. views itself as a bastion of democracy, and so protects it.
