Theory of US Foreign Policy

Chapter 2
 Foreign Policy: Definition
• Goals and objectives the nation’s officials
seek to obtain abroad
• Constrained by the values and ideology
that inform these goals
• Constrained by the instruments and
strategies available to achieve these goals
• Wittkopf et al. argue that US policy goals
and values do not change, only
instruments and strategies do
• Do you agree?
 Causation
• There are factors/variables/agents
that explain US foreign policy
• Factors that are used to explain –
independent (explanatory) variable
• Factors that are explained –
dependent variables
 Funnel of Causality
• Five factors/variables collectively
shape US foreign policy and explain
its continuity or discontinuity
• Need to avoid oversimplification
• Nested layers from individual to
systemic variables, which constrain
the lower level variable
 External Sources
• Attributes:
– Characteristics of international system
Distribution of power
– Transnational movements and ideologies
– globalization
• Neorealism: states are motivated to get and
maintain power in an unequal distribution of
power
 Societal Sources
• Attributes:
– Economic system
– History
– Culture, including political culture
– Political system and culture
• Wilsonian Liberalism (Idealism): States are also
motivated by a set of ideals and values
 Governmental Sources
• Attributes
–Organization of the
government
–Checks and balances
–What are the prerogatives of
various agencies
 Role Sources
• Attributes
–Impact that office has on
individual
–Expectations attached to
positions
 Individual Sources
• Attributes:
• Skills, talents, personalities,
beliefs, psychological
predispositions, experience
 Multiple explanations
• Many variables
• Which one is the most important,
or all?
• Counterfactual analysis