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WORLD POLITICS – Lecture 2

WORLD POLITICS – Lecture 2. INTRODUCTION (2): Government and Policymaking. The Head of Government. Leading figure of foreign policy President, Prime Minister, King. The Government Agency. Minister for External Affairs Secretary of State Bureaucrats (experts).

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WORLD POLITICS – Lecture 2

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  1. WORLD POLITICS – Lecture 2

  2. INTRODUCTION (2): Government and Policymaking

  3. The Head of Government • Leading figure of foreign policy • President, Prime Minister, King

  4. The Government Agency • Minister for External Affairs • Secretary of State • Bureaucrats (experts)

  5. The Foreign Minister and the Foreign Office High-level negotiation Foreign ministers’ meetings and summits among heads of states

  6. Foreign Office Dual mission Source of policy recommendation (heavy influence on final policy decisions) Communicate and articulate policy decision Source of policy recommendation from the diplomatic service (the Ambassador)

  7. Role of the Ambassador • Representation before the host government • Acting as a channel of communication • Reporting information • Performing public relations (Rotation to avoid risk of corruption)

  8. Foreign Policy Extended to Military Department Treasury Department (becoming prominent in foreign policy)

  9. Foreign Policy • Determining goals • Specifying most important aspects • Evaluating • Selecting objectives • Implementing strategies • Decision to act • Taking the action • Evaluating the result

  10. Analysis of Foreign Policy • General characteristics of the event • Policies being followed by other states • One’s own state’s capabilities Result = capacity + time + experience + style of the official Long Term Middle-range Short term

  11. Alternatives • Lack of alternatives – limits a state to a response • Other actors can anticipate • (The US Iraq policy & Iran policy)

  12. The Calculation of Costs and Risks • Assuming the worst possible consequences • Costs estimated in probabilistic terms (uncertainty) • Value judgment and consequence of failure

  13. The Problem of Domestic Consensus • Regime popularity  consensus • Consensus  collective action

  14. The Difficulty of Making Foreign Policy • Incomplete information • Fill the gaps with estimates, expectations, and assumptions • The pressure of time (Iraq’s weapon of mass destruction) • Commitments and precedents (status quo vs. change)

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