AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IS INFLUENCED BY MANY THINGS, INCLUDING ACADEMIA. THIS ARTICLE ARGUES THAT ACADEMIA SHOULD HAVE THE MOST KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT TO OFFER TO POLICYMAKERS. IT EXAMINES COMMUNITIES OF INDIVIDUALS, CRITICS--NOT ALLIES, CONFLICT RESOLUTION, COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS, AND, HOW TO BRIDGE THE GAP. IT NOTES THAT SCHOLARS FIND THAT BUREAUCRACIES ARE SELDOM OPEN TO ASSESSMENTS THAT CAST DOUBT ON CURRENT POLICIES.
IN THE POST-COLD WAR WORLD, TWO U.S. ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE TRIED AND FAILED TO CONSTRUCT A FOREIGN POLICY THAT ENJOYS POLITICAL ACCEPTANCE WITHIN THE COUNTRY AT LARGE. BECAUSE BUSH'S NEW WORLD ORDER AND CLINTON'S DOCTRINE OF ENLARGEMENT HAVE BEEN FOUND WANTING, AN ALTERNATIVE VISION OF FOREIGN POLICY MUST BE CONSIDERED. TWO POSSIBLE OPTIONS INCLUDE: AMERICA'S ABANDONMENT OF ITS HEGEMONIC PRETENSIONS, AND AMERICA'S FOCUS ON COUNTRIES, SUCH AS CHINA, THAT DETERMINE THE OVERALL CHARACTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM. THE LEADERS OF AMERICA MUST ALSO BEGIN TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF THE AVERAGE AMERICAN IF FAITH IN AMERICA'S LEADERSHIP ABILITY IS TO BE RESTORED.
Foreign Policy Analysis is the most systematic, thorough guide to core foreign policy approaches, drawing insights from international relations and non-Western perspectives to provide students with a full understanding of theory. Brummer and Opperman put theoretical approaches front and centre without neglecting the right connection with international relations theories. This book challenges Western-centric perspectives on foreign policy analysis and reflects the rise of non-Western scholarship in the field.
The second edition of this introductory textbook on foreign policy analysis focuses on the key explanatory factors that underlie the foreign policies of states and other actors to show how theory can illuminate practice. Genuinely international in scope and drawing on a wide range of examples, it provides an accessible introduction to the key elements of foreign policy analysis to explain, predict and evaluate what states and other collective actors want, how they make decisions, and key determinants of state security, diplomatic, and economic foreign policies. Providing a broad set of theoretical tools for analysing foreign policy, and including increased coverage of methodology, this new edition provides students with the skills to undertake their own foreign policy analysis.
Qatar has only recently emerged as a player in the foreign policy arena. The first sign of what has become a highly distinctive role was the establishment of Al Jazeera, which has changed for ever the way that news media are seen across the Arab world. Qatar then successfully mediated in several conflicts in the region, before playing an active role in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and taking a lead on Libya. Syria poses more of a problem. But Qatar, as a small, rich country in an unpredictable region, now enjoys a high level of global recognition as an independent state. (Asian Aff/GIGA)
India is an ancient civilization with a multiethnic, multireligious and multilingual society. Freedom of thought and expression, democracy, nonviolence and tolerance form an integral part of Indian ethos. Since times immemorial these values have played an important role in the evolution of Indian civilization. As a result, India was able to absorb and assimilate alien cultures, religions and ideas, still retaining its distinctive identity. Because of this immense process of assimilation and absorption, Indian society is popularly called an 'Indian Mosaic'. Today almost all possible religious, ethnic and cultural groups co-exist in India peacefully, making India the most pluralistic society in the world. Seventh largest in size, the country is home to over onesixth of humanity. In recent times India has been one of the fastest growing economies and in terms of purchasing power parity has been ranked as the fourth largest economic powerhouse in the world. Though pursuit of national interest remains the single most important guiding factor in determining a country's foreign policy; national history, ethos and international realities are important factors impacting foreign policy imperatives. Therefore, at the very outset, I would like to briefly summarize the ancient Indian thoughts which have bearing on India's foreign policy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjia.v0i12.90 Mongolian Journal of International Affairs No.12 2005: 8-20
