Notes on Foreign Policy Research

Abstract

The author makes a distinction between three approaches to foreign policy research: (1) the traditional approach emphasizing diplomatic history, (2) the ‘scientific’ approach à la Rosenau, and (3) the radical approach (represented, e.g. by William A. Williams and Gabriel Kolko). These approaches are evaluated by criteria which include diachronic vs. synchronic orientation, nomothetic vs. ideographic orientation, and the type of strategic actors postulated as well as the model of explanation applied (whether the foreign policy orientations are explained by relational or domestic factors). This is followed by a discussion of some of the critical problems in the analysis of foreign policy. These problems are the distinction between external behavior and foreign policy, the role of subjective vs. objective factors in the determination of foreign policy, and the need to analyze the outcomes of foreign policies, not just the decision-making processes and tools applied in the execution of the policy.