INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS

Foreign Policy Process
• Definition: “system of activities evolved by
communities for changing the behaviour of
states and for adjusting their own activities to
the international environment”, “formulation and
implementation of a group of principles which
shape the behaviour pattern of a state while
negotiating with other states to protect and
further its vital interest; only those sponsored by
governments’ i.e. official relations
Theory of Realism
Each state is a rational actor that always acts
towards its own self-interest, and the primary
goal of each state is to ensure its own security.
Realism holds that in pursuit of that security,
states will attempt to amass resources, and that
relations between states are determined by their
relative level of power. That level of power is in
turn determined by the state's capabilities, both
military and economic.
Foreign policy is driven by national
interest
National interest:
• a key concept in foreign policy: “sum
total of all national values”
• is a country's goals and ambitions
whether economic, military, or cultural.
• Primary is the state's survival and
security. Also important is the pursuit of
wealth and economic growth and power.
Factors which influence foreign
policy

• leadership/policy makers: personality, perceptions

• public opinion
• natural resources
• ideology
• historical legacy
• Ethnic and religion
• regional environment
• international environment: media, international
organizations, alliances, power structure in the
international system, non state actors
WHAT GOALS DO GOVERNMENTS
HAVE IN COMMON?
• Security
• Autonomy
• Status and prestige
• Welfare
Foreign trade strategies
-Autarky, Mercantilism, Free Trade,
Economic Coalitions, Cartels and
Regional Free Trade Agreement
What are other factors that
influence foreign policy?
• IDIOSYNCRATIC FACTORS -
LEADERSHIP/POLICYMAKERS
• IDEOLOGY
• RESOURCES
• REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT
• INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

• British foreign policy goal during the

postwar period: to keep a leading role in
world politics.
BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

British policy makers were determined to

preserve Britain’s special position in world
trade and the financial market through:

• Their Commonwealth Empire

• Close relation with the U.S
 BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY
• Britain had the largest coal and steel industries
in Europe and exported much of its steel to the
Commonwealth, therefore had little to gain from
joining the ECSC. Moreover at that time, the
Labour government had just nationalized the
coal and steel industries and it was politically
unthinkable that the Labour government would
turn over the control to the European authority.
LEADERSHIP/POLICY MAKERS:
PERSONALITY, PERCEPTIONS
IDIOSYNCRATIC FACTORS
• Prime ministers like Churchill and Thatcher
used their personal charisma to rally and
motivate the British people to support
their various foreign policies and actions.
• Today, Tony Blair’s personal
idiosyncrasies have been his key to
winning three elections and ensuring
Labor Party power in parliament.
IDEOLOGY OF BLAIR & BRITISH
GOVERNMENT
• The United Kingdom professes a policy of
spreading democracy and freedom
worldwide, which is the ideology that led
Tony Blair to cooperate with the United
States in the invasion of Iraq.
International Concerns

• A world safer from global terrorism and

weapons of mass destruction.”
• “An international system based on the rule
of law, which is better able to resolve
disputes and prevent conflicts.”