Determinants of Foreign

Policy
Dr. Asia Karim
(2nd Lecture)
 Introduction
• Foreign policy decision are not made in isolation.
• Understanding of determining forces that influence the
policy choices of a leader is very important
• These factors influence decision makers choice of
objectives and means (tactics)
• Two basic categorization: Internal Determinants and
External Determinants
• Pulls and Pressures VS counter Pulls and Pressures
 Different School of Thoughts about the
Determinants in Foreign Affairs
• Single Factor Theories: Marxism and German School of Geopolitik
• Marxism: Focuses on Economic Factor, flaws of capitalistic system
lead to suppression of working class
• Marxists focus on economic determinants and its impact on social class
• German School of Geopolitik: Focuses on political phenomena and
tries to give a geographical interpretation of state’s foreign policy
behavior
• Term was first used in 1899 by Rudolf Kjellen (Swedish Political
scientists)
• Focuses of geography and its impact on national interests and national
geography
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• These theories focus on single deterministic factor
playing role in global peace or war
• In both theories policy makers are seen as mere
puppets of economic structure or geography
respectively
• Some scholars rate such theories as propaganda tool
as foreign policy behavior cannot fit into such
simplistic mode
 Environmentalists Theories: (Anthropologists,
Realists)
• Anthropologists:
• Foreign policy can be explained with reference to the culture
• Decision makers tend to confirm to the demands of societal
culture, values and taboos
• Either these norms are part of their predispositions or not.
• Realism:
• Anarchical international system of multiple sovereignty impact
the foreign policy behavior of a state
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• No theory is able to give a holistic picture
• As David Easton puts it: “Inordinate commitment to psychology can
lead to the concealment of situational aspects”
• According to some political philosophers, Situational or environmental
factors operate through a prism (Personal traits of an actor).
• The prism may deflect or distort, transform or reflect these factors in a
variety of ways
• This lead the psychologists to talk of personal traits of Individual
leaders
 Leadership Traits:
• Emotions
• Stereotypes and obsessions
• Preferences and prejudices
• Will Power and Determination
• Assessment of risks and opportunities
• Experience
• Psychological Traits
• Role of these psychological factors can also be an exaggeration because
policy decisions are results of rational calculations of internal and
environmental factors