BINGHAM, UNIVERSITY KARU

NASARAWA STATE

NAME: SAIDU TANIMU

DEPARTMENT: POLITICAL SCIENCE

LEVEL: 400

MATRIC. NUMBER: BHU/16/03/04/0005

COURSE: NIGERIAN FOREIGN POLICY (POL 410)

LECTURERS:M.S JULIE SANDA / MR TOBI

QUESTION:

AMONG THE SCHOLARS LISTED IN THE ARTICLE

GIVEN TO UD TO STUDY WHICH OF THE
DEFINITIONS IS BEST USED IN AN ACADEMIC
WORK AND BEST DEFINED FOREIGN POLICY
AND WHY?

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INTRODUCTION

The actions of a state in the international arena results from individual choices by its citizenry, its
political leaders, its diplomats and bureaucrats aggregated through the states internal structures.
This unit examines this from inside out in determining the definition and nature of foreign
policy. Many of the goals, political, social, economic, and numerous others, which states try to
pursue in the international system cannot be achieved within the territorial confines of the
national state. As a result, states need the active cooperation, even assistance of other states in
the system to achieve their national objectives. This makes it necessary for the state to be in
communication with its external environment. It is the totality of this interaction
(communication) that is commonly referred to as foreign policy. However, like many other
concepts in international relations, the definition of the term “foreign policy” has been a subject
of controversy. Sometimes, this controversy arises from different theoretical frameworks from
which the subject is approached. It may relate to the whole importance attached to the state, in
ordering or controlling international activities in the contemporary world (Ojo & Sasey: 2002).

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION OF THE TERM FOREIGN POLICY

A foreign policy is a set of pre-established strategies designed and implemented

systematically to manage a country’s relationships with other nations. They are structured
guidelines that regulate international political dealings.

A state’s foreign policy consists of the strategies it uses to protect its international and
domestic interests and determines the way it interacts with other state and non-state actors. The
primary purpose of foreign policy is to defend a nation’s national interests, which can be in
nonviolent or violent ways.
With the emergence of modern nation states, modern international relations
emerged as these nation-states device and followed certain principles, courses and standards that
govern their interactions in the international community. Basically, no nation is an island, so it
becomes imperative for nation states to interact with each other. These actions therefore formed
the foreign relations of such states. Traditionally, these actions are guided by national foreign
policies that are clearly in pursuit of national aspirations or interests. The term “foreign policy”
has been given different definitions by scholars, historians and diplomats.

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 Foreign policy has been defined as the actions of a state towards external environment
and conditions usually domestic, under which these decisions are formulated. Foreign policy can
also be seen as an interaction between identifiable domestic political forces and the dynamics of
international political relations. It is an interaction between internal and external forces and the
actions and reactions of states targeted at the external. Foreign policy has also been described as
the courses of action adopted by a nation in the interest of the welfare of its peoples. In other
words, foreign policy of a state is pursued by the state, in the interest of the welfare of its people.
The term foreign policy is also a product of environment factors, both internal and external to it
that have a set of explicit objective with regards to the world beyond the borders of a given social
unit, and a set of strategies and tactics designed to achieve these objectives. Foreign policy
consists of decisive actions which involve to some appreciable extent relations between one state
and the others and also consists of a state’s dealings with other states. According to him, foreign
policy consists of three elements; the first element is the overall orientation and policy intention
of a particular country towards another. The second element is the objective that a country seeks
to achieve in its relation or dealings with other countries, and the third element of foreign policy
is the means of achieving that particular goal or objectives. Note that foreign policy deals with
how and why a nation sets particular goals, orders its own governmental policy making
machinery, utilising its own human and natural resources to compete with other nations in the
international arena. Foreign policy could be defined as the governmental activity which concerns
relationship between the state and other actors, especially other states in the international system.
Put differently, foreign policy could be seen as the totality of all actions, decisions, overtures, or
interactions between states in the international system. Such could be directed or based on
economics, politics, culture or creating understanding or-cooperation (Adesola, 2004). From the
above definitions and many others, three identifiable components of foreign policy are obvious,
one, the actions of a state; two, national or domestic interests, which influences these actions and
three; external or foreign environment of a state towards which these actions are oriented. These
three components are clearly closely related and dependent on each other. They act together and
one influences the other and it is from this perspective that the foreign policy of a state evolves in
the competitive international environment. Policy as a term denotes planning, which in turn
suggests step-by-step procedure towards a known and defined goal. Yet, the realities of the
behaviour of states show that, decisions are taken to deal with new crises that may suddenly

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develop somewhere in the world. Very seldom are the nature and future implications of such
crises so clearly defined, that the foreign ministry of a country can make its decision in full and
complete confidence, that what it has done will surely enhance the fulfillment of its objective.
Therefore, foreign policy is here defined as the strategies governments use to guide their actions
in the international arena. Foreign policies spell out the objectives state leaders have decided to
pursue in a given relationship or situations. This includes the means of achieving the objectives.

WHICH SCHOLAR’S DEFINITION BEST DEFINES FOREIGN POLICY AND WHY?

As stated earlier, there is no such thing as a best scholar definition. It all depends on your
views on the subject, as well as your philosophical and theoretical background on the matter.
Meanwhile when a question like this pops up some sources can be used to support a scholars
particular view point.
Well different scholars have given various definitions in the article by (Bojang A.S) as to
what foreign policy means. Charles Hermann saw foreign policy as “the discrete purposeful
action that results from the political level decision of an individual or group of individuals”. He
also stated that “it is the observable artifact of a political level decision”. From this we can
conclude that Hermann defines foreign policy as the behavior of states. While George
Modelski’s, definition goes a bit precise by concluding that foreign policy is “the system of
activities evolved by communities for changing the behavior of other states and for adjusting
their own activities to the international environment”. He also further states that foreign policy
“must throw light on the ways states attempt to change and succeed in changing the behavior of
other states.” For Joseph Frankel “foreign policy consists of decisions and actions, which
involves to some appreciable extent relations between one state and others.” In the words of
Padelford and Lincoln “a state’s Foreign Policy is totally of its dealings with the external
environment. Foreign policy is the overall result of the process by which a state translates its
broadly conceived goals and interests into specific courses of action in order to achieve its
objectives and preserve its interests.” On a more different approach Feliks Gross states that “A
state without a foreign policy, has been compared to a ship in a deep sea without any knowledge
of directions Coming from a
personal perspective, the above scholars have all given expert definitions and analysis of what
the international relations term foreign policy means but there is a specific definition which

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stands out from other scholars. The Definition by Deborah Gerner stands out from other
scholar’s definitions and best defines foreign policy. Well
Deborah Gerner defines foreign policy as “the intentions, statements and actions of an actor-
often but not always a state-directed towards the external world and the response of other actors
to these intentions, statements and actions.” Gerner’s definition has however received criticisms
from other scholars among them Laura Neack who states that the definition is emphasized on
states where in real sense there exist other actors such as businesses and religion who ought to be
included in the definition. According to Laura a foreign policy should consist 3 parts that is the
end, the ways and the means. The end is a nation which relates well with others, while the means
and ways can be seen in a nation actions and intentions and statements

However, from a personal view Deborah Gerner’s definition best explains or describes
foreign policy since it includes a policy of safeguarding the nation interest and this is through
what a nation intends to do and how they communicate their intentions. The actions set by the
nation on its citizens and other nations are also extensively seen in the definition.

According to Deborah J. Gerner, as stated earlier “the central focus of foreign policy
analysis is on the intentions, statements and actions of actors - often, but not always, a state -
directed towards the external world and the response of other actors to these intentions,
statements and actions” (Gerner, 1995). For Gerner, a defining factor of the study of foreign
policy is its focus on both the international and domestic spheres and the consequent need to
move between individual, state and systemic levels of analysis (Gerner, 1995). Foreign policy is
therefore studied from a variety of perspectives. It may entail the analysis of various actors such
as the state, non-state entities and sub-state entities; a range of levels, including the individual-
level, state-level and the macro (systemic)-level; different milieus such as the internal and
external and other variables, including discourse, strategies, policies and actions.

Gerner concludes her self by noting that there is no general consensus on the definitions
of this field; no consensus on the methodologies or even the theories. Gerner goes on to discuss
the various factors that may have contributed to the current intellectual dispersion in the foreign
policy literature, reviews some of the significant classical and behaviouralist research of the past
thirty years to provide anchor points, and suggests several avenues of research that have the

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potential either to link divergent approaches or to provide insights that may move the field in
productive, new directions in cognizant that this is an uphill task

Gerner while giving her definition traces the historical development of the field of
International relations noting that throughout the years including in the 1980 (cites James S.
Rosenau), foreign policy has been deceptive, analytical, a process and an evaluation that
considers the effects of foreign policy. She notes that the distinction between foreign policy and
international relations is not obvious. She also notes that international relations may be taken to
mean ‘research that focuses on the total global system as its level of analysis’ while foreign
policy may be taken to mean ‘ the research on the nation-state or other international actor as the
unit of analysis’. She traces the development of foreign policy analysis form the pre-
world war II and after when Foreign Policy was majorly the study of America’s foreign policy.
She narrates the study of foreign policy in the lens of the behaviouralists and the classical foreign
policy approach and what means to be the ‘scientific’ study of Foreign Policy as separating the
two. Also she goes on and indicates the different sources of foreign
policy including societal sources, cognitive and psychological attributes of foreign policy
analysis, decision making, including the application of artificial intelligence and recommends the
adoption of a ‘more modest approach’ that will enhance the study of foreign policy. Examples of
foreign policy using Gerner’s definition Let’s assume hypothetically that there is a war between
Italy and France. At some point, diplomatic channels were exhausted and the conflict exploded
since Italy refused to pay France a huge amount of debt outstanding. France decided to invade
the country after several threats were purposely unattended. The conflict caused the immigration
of many Italians to the United States, looking for refuge from the conflict. The U.S. Secretary of
State, the person in charge of the country’s foreign policy, drafted a document to allow Italian
refugees to enter the country with a temporary 6-month VISA, that includes a temporary work
permission. After this period has elapsed, the State Department will evaluate the war situation
again to issue further permission or to revoke and ask the refugees to move back to their
country.In 2013 China developed a foreign policy known as the Belt and Road Initiative, the
nation’s strategy to develop stronger economic ties in Africa, Europe, and North America. In the
United States, many presidents are known for their landmark foreign policy decisions such as
the Monroe Doctrine which opposed the imperialist takeover of an independent state. A foreign

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policy can also be the decision to not participate in international organizations and conversations,
such as the more isolationist policies of North Korea.

CONCLUSION:
Foreign policy can therefore be seen as a type of policy that transcends the
boundary of a given state. It is that type of action a state embarks upon in its interaction with
other actors, member-states in the international environment, in the process of striving to attain
its objectives and goals. Deborah Gerner’s definition of the concept of foreign policy talks about
intentions, statements and actions of an actor, we can now see that the concept, foreign policy,
denotes the authoritative action which governments take or are committed to take in order, either
to preserve the desirable aspects of the international environment or to alter its undesirable
aspects. Her definition best describes public policy as it also represents the range of actions
taken by various sections of government of a state in its relations with other bodies or states,
acting on the international scene in order to advance the national interests of a particular state
which Gerner tries to point out. Finally Gerner’s definition helps bring to light that foreign policy
can be conceptualised as set of principles that define the objectives a given state pursues in the
international arena, in the process of its interactions with other international actors. Thus, it is
established fact that a nation’s foreign policy includes the specific goals that leaders pursue in
the global system, the values that shape those goals and the means by which those goals are
achieved.

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REFERENCE LIST:

Gerner DJ (1995). “The Evolution of the Study of Foreign Policy” in Foreign Policy Analysis:
Continuity and Change in its Second Generation. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Neack L, Hey JAK, Haney PJ (1995). Foreign Policy Analysis: Continuity and Change in its
Second Generation. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Ojo, O. & Amadu, S. (2002). Concepts in International Relations. Ile Ife: Classy Prints &
Company.