Transcript LECTURE 19 –FOREIGN POLICY

LECTURE 19 –FOREIGN
POLICY
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FOREIGN POLICY
A. Introduction
B. Definition:
1.
The foreign policy of any state
reflects the way in which its government
defines its own mission and the extent
to which that mission is shared by the
population as a whole
LECTURE 19.1
• 1. George Modelski- the process whereby a
state adjust its actions to those of other states
so as to minimize adverse actions and
minimize adverse actions and maximize the
favorable actions of foreign states
• 2.
Policy is seen not as actions based on
some grand design but as a continual
process of pragmatic adjustment to the
actions of others in the external environment.
LECTURE 19.2
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Foreign policy is a combination of aims
and interests pursued and defended by the
given state and its ruling class in relation with
other states and the methods and means
used by it for the achievement and defense of
purposes and interests
• A. The objectives and interests that state
seeks to promote or safeguard as it interacts
with other states must be viewed against the
background of its internal social structure and
the configuration of political power within it.
LECTURE 19.3
• A.
The classes that controls and wields
power necessarily shapes foreign policy and
in accordance with its own interest and at
most these are rationalized ideologically as
the interest of the entire nation.
• B. Hence there are no interests that can be
shared by meembers of the nation state in
common.
LECTURE 19.4
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A. BUT SOME DO:
1. Defense of state sovereignty,
2. Defense of national independence
3.
Defense of territorial integrity of a
country.
• In most cases foreign policy decisions
are not concerned with matters related
to such common interest or values
LECTURE 19.5
• A.
Foreign policy tends to center on so
called middle range objectives such as
interstate economic, commercial, and political
relations including attempts to influence the
behavior of other states in desired directions.
• Hence one can evaluate that it is over routine
matters that class interest tend to have
decisive influence on policy making
LECTURE 19.6
• A. Foreign policy mirrors/is an extension or
complement of domestic policy.
• B. The distinction between the two is thus
not a matter of substance. Rather it derives
from the fact that a state’s foreign policy takes
account of the relevant attitudes, actions,
reactions of other actors whereas its domestic
policy is not in general burden with such
considerations
LECTURE 19.7
• A.
Silva Brucan 1978: foreign policy
formulation derives from five factors;
• 1. Natural –material basics- including size of
territory, population, geographic location,
resources and the state and level of ecotechnological development.
• 2.
Societal structure and forces including
social classes, ethnic composition, cultural
and psychological factors at work in society.
LECTURE 415
• 1.
Contingency and situational factors
including political, economic crisis, coup
d’etat, elections, massive strikes, large-scale
violence, military actions and war. These
influence the intensity of social and national
drives and reactions.
• 2. The state system, including governmental
machinery of decision making
LECTURE 19.9
• 1.
Leadership, which refer to the way in which
state power is used by current office holders
• A. These can be categorized into 3:
• 1. Those that are in the nature of permanent and
immutable physical realities, which the policy
maker cannot alter at all or can, alter at great cost
in terms of resources.
• 2. Those variables those are entirely amenable
to manipulation by decision makers.
LECTURE 19.10
• 1.
There are those which occur randomly
and yet are capable of exerting decisive
impacts on the course of events
• A. on the other hand, the question has also
been approached from the point of view of
the impact of capability deficiencies on the
developing countries.
LECTURE 19.11
• A. Enough evidence exists in the history of post
war international relations to show that small
developing countries can infact exert significant
influence on the movement of world politics and
thereby achieve their policy objectives E.G Egypt
1956 Abdel Nasser non control of the Suez canal
against the claims of Britain and France who had
seemingly overwhelming military force at their
disposal since its formation. Tanzania under
Nyerere earned a reputation among third world
for its steadfast adherence to the principles of
anti-colonialism and non-alignment.
LECTURE 19.12
• A. Third world foreign policy objectives
• 1. Gain respect on the world state and
for its states to be treated as equals
after centuries of inferiority witnessed in
slavery and colonialism
• 2. Legacy of colonialism
• 3.
Dominant
cold
war
tensions/globalism
LECTURE 19.13
• 1. Opposition to racism
• 2. Occasional presence of foreign troops
• 3.
The final policy objectives- economic
modernization and development
• In 1965 UK withdrew its aid after Tanzania
broke off diplomatic relations in protest
against Rhodesia UDI.
LECTURE 19.14
• A.
Recently Zimbabwe ‘s stance on land
issue and upholding of the principles of
sovereignty and non-interference in the
internal affairs of other states. But smart
sanctions, USA bill.
• B.
The ability of a developing state to
achieve its policy objectives vary in
accordance with the given issue or issue
area. It is possible to identify 4 such issue
areas
LECTURE 19.15
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High priority issue or core values
Regional issues
Continental issues
Global issues
LECTURE 19.16
• A. Core values are of such intrinsic value
that states invest vast amounts of resources
in order to safeguard them e.g. a country’s
territorial integrity.
• B. Developing countries have a significant
ability when dealing with issues that are
purely regional or local in character e.g
SADC, ECOWAS, OAU….
LECTURE 19.17
• A. However it should be noted that in
the contemporary era of globalization
even so called local or regional; issues
can and often do, assume a global
character as a result of super power
intervention.
• Jansen 1982. Why do states behave the
way they do?
LECTURE 19.18
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Role of idiosyncratic variable such
as psychological dispositions and
individual belief systems
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Societal determinants- individual
decision makers are often products of
societies in which they live. They tend to
share values and goals prevailing in
broader sense.
LECTURE 19.19
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Ideology and historical tradition- foreign
policy is a product of past experiences of a
nation and the specific political beliefs of
ideologies that have become accepted over
years. Every society is held together by a
myth-system a dominant thought-forms that
dermines and sustains all its activities
• 2.
Economic determinants- most
international conflicts are linked to economic
factors
LECTURE 19.20
• 1.
External and systematic determinantscharacteristics of the international system
appear to shape foreign policy behavior
• B.
decision making process- the way
decisions are made and actors that
participate in making those decisions have an
impact on the content of choices made.
LECTURE 19.21
• 1. Tocqueville- argued that management of
foreign affairs requires knowledge, secrecy,
judgment, planning and perseverance
qualities in which autocratic systems are
superior to democratic ones
• 2.
Lippman- criticized democratic foreign
policy making on the ground that the mass
public is generally. Uniformed about foreign
policy and will always opt for taking the easy
way out of situations that demand more
assertive action.
LECTURE 19.22
• 1.
Aron- democratic decision making
has a danger of “ conservative
paralysis” and a corresponding in ability
to deal with pressing problems
• B. Advantages of authoritarian/ strong
state:
LECTURE 19.23
• 1. Makes decisions more rapid since it is not
responsive to a mass public and involves
smaller number of elites
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Better methods to achieve to ensure
compliance
• 3. centralization enables the development of
a united front. Democracies speak with
several voices hence lack unity- due to
information linkages.
LECTURE 19.24
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Guarantees more consistent and
external presentation of its foreign
policy views
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Ability to pursue contradictory
policies at the same time.
• Disadvantages- deficiency of innovation
and not immune from politics of interest
group.
LECTURE 19.25
• A. Models of foreign policy making
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The strategic rational model- state
actors viewed as rational actors
searching to maximize their goals in
global politics
LECTURE 19.26
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Decision making approach- postulate
numerous internal and external factors that
that impinge on foreign policy choices
• 2.Bureaucratic politics model- role played by
the many bureaucrats involved in the foreign
policy process. Since politicians often lack
foreign policy expertise they must rely on
bureaucrats/ permanent civil servants for
more information and advice.
LECTURE 19.27
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Adaptive model- focus on how
states respond to the constraints and
opportunities and constraints provided
by
their
respective
international
environments. The adaptive capabilities
of states differ depending not only on
their capabilities but also their will.
LECTURE 19.28
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Incremental Decision MakingBecause of great uncertainty and lack of
complete information concerned with
foreign policy issues, decisions cannot
be made in terms of comprehensive
rational calculation- instead they are
product they are a product of
considerable, manuevoring and many
false stats over long period.