Chapter 5 - What is Foreign Policy?

There are many important assumptions the study of international relations. One of the biggest is that states, as the primary actors, act in some reasonable way that is explainable and understandable to outsiders.

That may not be an assumption worth making.

Humans do things that, from the outsiders' view, look pretty crazy, but from the actors' point of view may look entirely rational.

Your text puts forth the standard explanations which seek to connect foreign policy actions of states in some rational way. The connections, like the UN itself, are only as good as its member states.

But if we are to study the international system we still have to recognize and accept the assumptions that states act rationally, in their own best interests, and that those actions are called foreign policy.

But all States act for different reasons, using different methods, under different intelligence, and with different priorities, values and perspective.

On page 135, your text lists three core objectives each state has, but let me add three other concerns to that list. Three other things beyond territorial security, economic strength, and political independence, I suggest we add:

4. Traditional hostilities, fears and hatred of groups within or around the state,

5. The pressures of globalization.

6. The need for the current government to stay in power.

Never forget the most important thing on the agendas of most governments around the world is to keep themselves in power. That effects foreign policy.

I often have problems when authors talk about goals and the value of goals. Goals are often just hope, illusion, or a group fantasy, not really tied to reality.

Goals are not even plans. And anyone who has ever been in battle will tell you the best battle plan changes as soon as the battle begins.

On page 145, your text provides the input model and it is in this framework where you can see the clearest example of the assumptions mentioned above. That does not deminish the value of the model.

It still makes me chuckle in every text book about foreign policy or decision making there is always a reference to the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962. It remains a classic model for a whole host of studies. My favorite book is Anatomy of a Decision Graham Allsion.

Maybe there is no such thing as foreign policy.

Maybe all foreign policy is really just domestic policy that involves foreign governments, people and corporations. but that is a philosophical question that is beyond and introduction to the study of foreign policy

On page 147 your text references J David Barber and his four way matrix. Again, his is a name that has been part of the study of political science for longer than I have been in the field.

I think his simple matrix of how people see themselves is a great example of something that comes from political science but can be applied to so-called "real life"

	active	passive
positive
negative

Put yourself in this matrix, you could learn quite a bit from your self...

Your text was greatly re-written during the Bush administration and thus it often focuses on "W" and his administration. Part of me thinks he should be tried for all the damage he has done to our county, our military, our global image, our economy, our environment, etc...

But I think the more positive thing to do is to look forward. And that is one of the reasons we have the class discussions..

 

No video this week:(