Corporations and American Foreign Relations

Abstract

While we know a great deal about the internal dynamics of foreign policymaking and about the influence of various groups and institutions, we know virtually nothing about the role of corporations in American foreign relations. The influence of corporations becomes more obvious if we distinguish between different types of decisions: crisis, calculated, and axiomatic decisions. Economic or corporate interests become obscured in crisis decision-making. The influence of corporations stems primarily from their capacity to shape axiomatic decisions and from their ability to act independently, to initiate action, which then influences foreign policy. While specific interests of corporations are subject to the mechanisms of pluralism and countervailing power, corporations exert a general influence which transcends specific economic interests. An examination of the recruitment patterns of high-level policy positions reflects the dominant position of men from large corporations, high finance, and corporate law. This pattern of recruitment creates latent predispositions which are readily triggered by various institutions which transmit corporate interests. The process of "tapping" high-level foreign policy officials from the business community biases the structure of decision-making towards business, for government is not just conscripting the talents of the businessman; it is buying his ideology, his values, and his orientation towards the world.