Foreign Policy Analysis

This course aims to familiarize students with the process by which foreign policy is made. In exploring this question, the course takes students on a tour through the corpus of thought on foreign policy. Broadly speaking, the course covers a few main areas. The first is a systemic level of analysis, where we examine constraints on foreign-policy making such as balance of power considerations and alliance structures, in light of the wider IR field. We then move to the state level to investigate the influence of domestic factors, including the tools of foreign policy, the role of institutions, regime type, government veto players, bureaucratic and organizational politics, sub-state and social interest groups, public opinion and media, as well as cultural factors. We also cover individual-level factors that influence foreign policy decision-making, including cognitive maps, leadership traits, psychological factors, perceptions, and beliefs. Finally, we look at a few specific cases of foreign policy, onto which we apply the notions acquired previously and in light of which we discuss the existing theory of foreign policy analysis. Rather than offering a definitive answer to the question of how foreign policy is made, students will be encouraged to consider a number of possible sources and interactions among these sources.