And obligations the nations foreign policy

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Q.1 Discuss how foreign policy analysis has evolved as an independent field of study? How is it relevant to states?

George Modelski, defines it as “the system of activities evolved by communities for changing the behavior of other states and for adjusting their own activities to the international environment. Foreign policy must throw light on the ways states attempt to change, and succeed in changing the behaviors of other states.” Modelski, noted only those aspects of policy that aim at the change in the existing behaviors of states, as the primary objectives of foreign policy. However, foreign policy is not only to change, but also continuation of the behaviors at different times.

According to Joseph Frankel, “foreign policy consists of decisions and actions, which involves to some appreciable extent relations between one state and others. By this, foreign policy involves set of actions that are made within state’s borders, intended towards forces existing outside the country’s borders. It comprises the formulation and implementation of a set of ideas that govern

Through foreign policy a state seeks to achieve a variety of objectives. However, the objectives sought to be attained by a state are of various categories, yet there are certain objectives which are uniformly pursued by A ll states i.e. Political Independence and territorial integrity, economic wellbeing and prestige of a nation. Foreign policies are generally formulated to protect a country’s core values and interest, national security, ideological goals, as well as economic prosperity. It is defined as a synthesis of ends and means. The end is the national interest of a state and the means are the power and capabilities of nation state.

Principles of Foreign Policy

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Foreign Policy as an Independent field of Study

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how, its emergence as a concept was intertwined with other processes of change. Studying the practical concept of foreign policy thus implies a denaturalization of our current understandings of foreign policy, both practical and analytical. This denaturalization has a number of empirical implications, which I return to in the conclusion, but one follows already from this framework. If foreign policy as a practical concept emerged at a specific time, for specific reasons, and has changed meaning over time, it cannot be taken for granted that foreign policy has meant the same thing in different places. Different languages have different ways of articulating foreign policy, each potentially with its own developmental trajectories.

Undoubtedly, the international environment plays an important role in shaping the foreign policy of every state. Since foreign policy in general is about the interaction of a state with another, this interaction only takes place at the international level and as such, cannot be ignored in analyzing the foreign policy of any state. As scholars in this school acknowledge the importance of both international and domestic factors, however, they argue that international factors play a more important role in determining country’s foreign policy. The main external factors that determine the foreign policy of a state are but not limited to: the international system or power structure, international law, international organizations, alliances, and military strength or arm race.

The international system or power structure

The international law is generally defined as a set of rules that regulate relations between states. Cali defined it as “a system of rules created deliberately and explicitly by states. Where states have expressly willed to be bound by the rules. The existence of international law and international norms limits the freedom to maneuver of states in the system. It is constituted by interstate agreements and treaties and thus, does not entirely favor every interest a state may have. It limits a state in one way or another. That been said, international law regulates the foreign policy of states, and has a binding function in foreign policy as it offers a legal framework through which states should interact. By foreign policy in this sense, is defined as the objectives that guide the activities and relationships of one state in its interaction with other states. It is believed that states actually obey and comply with international law because its constraints the making and enacting of their foreign policy. However, there is much debate among International Relations theorists about the consequences of international law. Whether states really comply with or observed international law and norms or not and to what extent they do obey international rules; because it is clear that some international norms are obeyed while others are ignored. One

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organizations impact the foreign policies of states. The international organizations help in modifiers of state

Political System

There are five main models in foreign policy analysis that will be explored in this article: the rational actor model, the bureaucratic politics model and the organizational process model—all three of which were developed by foreign policy analyst and scholar, Graham Allison, and outlined in his book, The Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis—as well as the inter-branch politics model and the political process model. In order for an international relations professional to effectively analyze foreign policy as a whole, it is necessary to determine the relative strengths and weaknesses of each model therein and understand the ways in which each approach has the potential to remedy the inadequacies of the others.

Rational Actor Model

Unlike the rational actor model, which looks at the state as a unitary actor, the bureaucratic politics model analyzes decisions on the premise that actions are taken by a number of independent, competing entities within a particular state. Each of these separate entities brings values to the decision-making process, as well as its own view of what’s best for personal, organizational and national interests. Each party attempts to satisfy its goals, meaning any collective action is contingent upon successful negotiations and the arrival at an ultimate consensus between all entities.

A number of factors can influence each party’s decision making and how it achieves its goals, such as the relative power and degree of influence of each other actor in the group. Each party has opposing viewpoints and desired outcomes related to an array of issues, and success in achieving certain goals may require other parties to make certain concessions, resulting in decisions that are often seen as more beneficial to one side than the others. Additional factors that impact decision making include the degrees of importance of certain goals and the political values each party represents. The increasingly partisan nature of U.S. politics provides an excellent example of this model in action.

Critics often bemoan the fact that this model limits individuals’ ability to act, which results in reduced insight and a lack of alternative perspectives. The organizational process model can also decrease the overall flexibility of an organization. However, applying this model has the potential to streamline decision making with the establishment of standard protocol for certain circumstances with predictable, measurable outcomes. In other words, the organizational process model anticipates the measured pace of bureaucratic practices and seeks to create protocol that can be readily applied in the event of a crisis

Inter-Branch Politics Model

individual ideology of each political actor is one of the most important factors in determining and explaining decision-making. Critics of the model, however, maintain that it is too similar to the bureaucratic politics to make a substantive contribution to the field of foreign policy analysis.

Foreign policy analysis is necessary to improve our overall understanding of the government and the political decision-making processes that play out on the world stage. Each approach to diplomacy offers a unique set of potential drawbacks and benefits, and emphasizes the importance of the political actors and structures involved and how they work to attain their foreign policy goals.