Foreign Policy the State

8/4/2019 Foreign Policy the State

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The State LevelAnalysisGovernmental, Societal and

Attributes of the State


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State Level-Analysis It involves

examining thefeatures of acountry to see

which of thesefactors affectforeign policy. Thefocus is on what

goes on withinstates thatultimately has aneffect on what goes

between states.


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State Level Analysis

This level examinesthe features of thecountry to determinewhat factors shape theforeign policy. This

level takes intoaccount leaders andthe leadership asimportant factors buttakes into account a

country-specific level.The focus at this levelis what goes within thestate that ultimatelyhas an impact on what

goes on between


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State Level Analysis The underlying assumption

of this level of analysis isthat a certain nationalattribute (or somecombination of attributes)influences the way statesbehave.

States with similarcharacteristics behave in asimilar manner. Personalityvariables and thepsychological make up ofnational leaders arerelatively unimportant sincethe attributes if the stateitself compel decision-makers to act in certainconsistent manner.


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State Level Analysis States vary in their

foreign policy

experiences,perhaps this hassomething to dowith some

fundamentaldifferences in theattributes thatthese states

possess.


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State Level Analysis Governmental type.

Type of economic system.

Certain demographic, cultural,physical, or geographic or nationalattributes.

attributes of the state.

Degree of political instability thatexist in the state.


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Governmental Type There are two broad types

of factors that are examinedat the state level:

Governmental factorstypeof political system, the typeof regime, the division ofpowers, bureaucraticpolitics among governmentagencies, and the size andinstitutionalization of

bureaucracies.

Societal factors-include theeconomic system, history,the ethnic compositionpopulation, interest groups,

media, and public opinion.


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Governmental Structure The structure of

governmentororganizationin which thedecision makers operate.Democratic system ofgovernment with frequentand truly competitiveelection will pose a differentset of opportunities andconstrains than will anauthoritarian regime.

Democratic regime needs tobuild a wider base ofsupport while in anauthoritarian system, agovernment can operate itsforeign policy on anarrower base.


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Societal Characteristics The non-governmental

characteristics of thesociety as whole that affector condition foreign policy

choices. Big countries havemore resources at theirdisposal that enables themproject greater capabilitiesabroad. In contrast, smalland poor countries have

less resources and arelikely to be deeplypenetrated by big andpowerful countries.


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Economic System:Capitalism and businesscycles

John Hobson and V.I.Lenins theories ofimperialism.

The business cycletheorythe foreignpolicy of a country is

large influenced byeconomic distress anddepression.


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Power, Size, andDevelopment Large and powerful states

behave differently frommiddle and small sizestates.

Large states tend to bemore active in global affairsas they get involve inconflicts, they participatemore in internationalorganizations and

multilateral organizationsand have more internationalcommitments, and havegreater capacity to act ininternational affairs thansmall states.


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Power, Size, andDevelopment Large states are

more likely to feel aresponsibility in theinternational arena-to affect thebalance of power

and manage theinternationalpolitical economy.


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Power, Size, andDevelopment Leaders of large states

are also more likely tohold and values their

national roleconceptions, whichpicture their states asresponsible formaintaining certain

international values,defending the statusquo, and ensuring theworld order.


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National Self-Image It refers to the idealized

stereotypes of the in-nationthat is culturally shared andperpetuated. It contains amessage (implicit or explicit)

about those outside thenationour nation is the best,therefore other nations are notas good. This culturally sharedand perpetuated belief iscomplemented by the belief

that the nation is alone in theworld, that it cannot expectany help from other societiesin times of crises or needs.


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Attributes of the State: Scapegoat theory of

foreign policystatesthat are beset with

deteriorating economicconditions, ethnicdivisions, increasingpolitical opposition orcivil strife will have a

different foreign policycompared to statesthat have stabledomestic conditions.


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Attributes of the State Revolutionary states and

their foreign policystatesthat have undergone arevolutionary or violentstruggles and a radical

transformation of itsancient regime will have adifferent foreign policy thatstable states. This isbecause they are likely toreceive a chilly welcome

from the internationalcommunity and politicalelites of these states mayperceive the internationalenvironment has hostile orthreatening.


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Limits of the Second LevelAnalysis Harold and Margaret Sprout

rejected the idea that thebehavior of the nation isdetermined primarily byobjective environmental

factors such as states size,geographical position, ortype of government. This isbecause these state-levelanalyses must first beperceived and taken into

account by the decision-makers, thus emphasizingthe importance ofperception and national roleconception as importantmechanism in the conductof foreign policy.


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Do state-level variablesmatter? State-level factors can only

affect foreign policy if theyare actually perceived andtaken into account by

decision-makers.

State-level factors can limit,restrain, and controloutcomes of foreign policydecisions made byindividual decision-makers.


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Yes they do, but A comprehensive theory of

foreign policy will requiretaking into accountvariables at different levelsof analysis. Certain state-

level variables, such as sizeand power , may affectforeign decisions only ifdecision-makers take theminto account. Thisindividual-level variables,

such as perception andnational role conceptions,operate as mechanismthrough which these state-level factor can operate toaffect foreign policy.

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Foreign Policy the State