Foreign Policy Analysis

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course aims to help students understand the dynamics of foreign policy-making and output in comparative perspective, through studying the cases of a variety of states in East and West, North and South, in conjunction with an introduction to the various approaches in the field of Foreign Policy Analysis. The intention is to get students to think beyond the headlines of foreign policy stories, by looking for patterns both across time and across cases, with systematic attention the factors typically shaping foreign policy in its conception and execution, including both similarities and differences between different types of states. The course starts out with an overview of some of the main approaches to the study of foreign policy, and of the key issues and factors (external as much as internal) involved. These are related to broad approaches in the field of International Relations – of which the analysis of foreign policy is, after all, a part. It then turns to a series of case studies grouped loosely on a regional basis, but representing different categories of state actors, viz.: • the United States as the one remaining superpower; • Russia as a former great power with renewed aspirations; • Western Europe, represented by the UK, Germany and France, and including a session on the European Union as a putative multilateral actor; • Africa, with particular attention for Nigeria and South Africa; • the Middle East – with cases ranging from Saddam’s Iraq, the GCC states, and ostensibly “revolutionary” Iran; • India, as an emerging middle power; • East Asia – including China and Japan; • Latin America – with the contrasting cases of Brazil and Venezuela. The various case studies from the “South” (or the “Developing States”) are introduced by a general conceptual session on the foreign policies of this category of states. This range of cases purposely includes major actors on the global and key regional stages; states from all main regions; both small and large states; both developed and developing, rich and poor states; both democracies and authoritarian systems; and both settled, stable systems and more apparently more revolutionary / unsettled ones. The course is rounded off by a look back at how, in light of all these case studies, students have found various concepts and approaches helpful or unhelpful in illuminating the evidence found.