Chapter four

Foreign policy Making : Actors and processes

Prof DR/ Ismail Sabry Maklad
‫المحاضرة األولى‬
Planning foreign policy
1- The foreign policy planning process involves:
• The making of decisions.
• These decisions help in guiding the state`s future activity in international
affairs.
2- This planning process is highly dynamic and is becoming increasingly
difficult and complex, that`s because:
• Domestic and international environments are constantly changing.
• Many of these changes, both internal and external are unknown, and
unpredictable.
• Expectation and calculations of likely consequences of long-term policies
may be: realistic or un realistic, right or wrong.
Foreign policy Decision Making
1- This process refers to choices of decision- makers choices that would affect
their states actions and moves on the international stage.
2- Decision on the top level of government may include:
A. Decision to go to war,
B. Decision to form an international alliance.
C. Decision to join an international organization.
D. Decision to impose economic sanction on an enemy state, etc.
3- when analyzing foreign policy decision- making , a special attention must be
given to the following consideration:
A. The level of decision- making and whether it is at the presidential level or at
a lower level,
B. The nature of the communications and consultations process that led to the
final decision,
C- characteristics of the decision environment with its relevant
psychological tensions and pressures.
D- the personality of leaders, and their decision- making style,
E- the way the motives and intentions of the opponent have been
estimated,
Components of foreign policy Decision-
making process
This process consists of four major components:
1. Identifying the decision problem,
2. Searching for all possible alternatives and options,
3. Settling on one particular option,
4. Executing the option that has been selected.
Foreign policy Decision – making
The rational Actor model
1. By it we mean how to pursue rational and purposeful behavior in
foreign policy,
• Behavior that is consistent with the goals that decision-makers seek
to achieve,
• Indicating the ways decision-makers concentrate upon in determining
the priorities of foreign policy goals,
• Identifying the way decision-makers choose the option that is ranked
highest among all possible alternatives,
• This selected option is usually called: the optimal choice.
• It can also be called optimal behavior.
When we talk about optimal choice:
A. This doesn't mean that actors or decision-makers never make
mistake,
B. These mistakes come as a result of the errors they make in
evolution the situation either because they misunderstand it, or
because they don`t have enough time or information so they can
study the situation more carefully.
C. Mistakes may also occur because decision-makers failed anticipate
likely consequences precisely.
3- we should take into account:
A. That choices are decided under uncertain circumstances.
B. Uncertain means different probabilities with different
consequences.
C. That under certainty, the decision-makers has to take the risk.
Success and failure in foreign policy Making

Dimensions of success:
A. The effects on allies,
B. The effect on adversaries,
C. The effect on national interests
-These must all be present in assessing the over-all success of the
foreign policy making tools and techniques.
-Effectiveness can also be another major dimension of foreign policy
making success.
- By this we mean effectiveness in accomplishing primary goals and
objectives.
- Costs must be taken into account in estimating success.