POL205

External Relations

Charles Hermann

Charles Hermann

For him, foreign policy is “discrete and purposeful action that results from the political level decision of an individual or group

Deborah Gerner

For her, foreign policy is “intentions, statements, and actions of an actor

George Modelski

For him, foreign of policy is “system of activities for changing of the behavior of other countries evolved by communities”

Hugh Gibson

Foreign policy is a “well-rounded comprehensive plan protecting the interests of the nation”

Power

A core of foreign policy, this is the ability of a country to sustain itself through cultural, financial, tangible, and intangible aspects

Balance

A core of foreign policy, this concerns the state resources, power, and balance in relationships with different countries

Security

A core of foreign policy which concerns itself with the defense of a country’s interest

Influence

A core of foreign policy which concerns how politics work by establishing cordial relations to get countries to adopt the same policies

Foreign Policy

Set of guiding principles

Diplomacy

Peaceful way in which countries negotiate and achieve their goals; The Actions taken

International Relations

Overall interaction between countries and INGOs, as well as the relationship between non-state actors and the states

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The center of foreign policy and affairs

Embassy/Consulate

Negotiates, administers, and talks on behalf of the country’s head

Diplomatic Mission

Represents the country, gathers information, explains policies, and promotes relation abroad

Theory

Describes, explains, and predicts phenomena by identifying relationships among interconnected concepts between the actions of countries

Realism

What is a theory stipulating how states are sinful, egoist, interest-oriented, aggressive, and power seeking? Self-interest and competitiveness

Liberalism

What is a theory which concerns itself with the right of individuals, free trade, democracy, limited government, and INGOs as the highest goals of government policies?

Marxism

What is a theory which concerns itself with social classes, communist ideology, multinational corps, and world systems? International system dominated by capitalism

State-centric Theory

This theory originated in the Treaty of Westphalia which focuses on the role of states on civil society and foreign policy; Relies on independent state actors who decide on their own

Non-state centric Theory

This theory focuses on a global governance framework of international institutions and organizations; Organizations such as the EU have considerable influence on economic policies

Level

This is the independent variable, the causes and framework of the issues

Unit

This is the dependent variable, the results of a state’s political behaviors to be analyzed

Rational Actor Model

This model in foreign policy relies on the rational individual who makes calculated decisions on their own

Bureaucratic Politics Model

This decision making model relies on independent competing entities such as groups, councils, and committees, all with different goals

Organizational Process Model

This model relies on the government cooperating with powerful organizations and bureaucratic entities with rigid structures; limited individual movement and action

Inter-branch Politics Model

This model is organizational and bureaucratic, wherein entities outside the state interact and influence each other; interdependent organizations and branches of the gov’t

Political Process Model

This model has a large number of actors, each with individual characteristics and goals competing and colliding with each other (Congress, Senate, President, etc), similar to the bureaucratic model