Foreign Policy as the Product of a Rational Decision Making Process - Essay Example

Foreign Policy is the product of a rational decision making process The state today in the modern era performs a number of functions, due to the reason that most of the aspects of the country need to be regulated by the state. The state usually regulates the functioning of the nation state through policy formulation and execution. These policies can easily be divided into two categories: domestic policy formulation and foreign policy formulation. The domestic policy deals with the internal working of the country, while the foreign policy deals with the relationship that the nation maintains with others (Brown C, pp. 68-84). It regulates the international relations, and through it, it sets the goals of the nation in the international arena. It regulates the method through which the country interacts with other nation states politically, socially, economically, culturally and militarily. This is not only with the official state actors and even with the non state actors. In the following essay there shall be realized a discussion on what are the factors influencing the foreign policy of any nation with special reference to the United Kingdom (Carlsnaes W, 1992 pp 133-135). There shall also be discussed the importance and role that foreign policy plays in the realization of national interests. The most important factor which influences the foreign policy of any nation state is to ensure that the interest of the state is upheld and maximized. This is the main goal of the foreign policy of any nation. The foreign policy of a nation reflects the national ideology of the nation of the country. The minister who has control over the foreign ministry portfolio is responsible for the formation of the national foreign policy of the concerned country during his term in office, with the advice of the head of the state. The foreign policy of the nation looks at ensuring that the national interests of the nation are upheld, and the integrity and security of the nation is maintained. It has been realized that the countries tries to achieve their national interests either through maintaining peaceful relations with other nation states or through exploitation of the other nations. It has been realized that the countries usually exploit the other less developed nations to achieve their own ends. There are very few countries in the world where the head of the state and not the head of the government formulate the foreign policy of the nation. Examples of such countries where the head of the state are responsible for the foreign policy of the nation are France and Finland. In the country United Kingdom, the foreign policy can be traced back to the medieval ages. The country has always had a strong hold in the events of the European continent, and since the feudal setting of society has been considered one of the most important nations influencing the international political and economic arena. There has been observed that most of the major concepts evolved in Britain. It has to be realized that with the industrial revolution taking place in Great Britain, the most important breakthrough of the modern era was achieved. Also, Great Britain was a leading colonial power in the past, and for over a century its foreign policy influenced the global political, economic and power structures of the world. In the current scenario, the role that the nation of United Kingdom plays is of great importance in the global arena. The role of the nation has reduced in a large extent with the end of the Second World War. In the period of cold war the country was aligned to the western block and has been a key player in the context. Today, the foreign policy of the nation is closely aligned to the foreign policy of the United States of America. There are a number of factors that influence the foreign policy formulation of any nation. These include mainly the national interests of the nation, ideology of the nation, public opinion, international scenario, etc. As already mentioned the foreign policy of a nation is usually to ensure that the national interest of the country can be furthered in relation to other nations (Freedom L, pp. 6-15, online) For example, the United Kingdom adopted the policy of colonization in the 19th and 20th century because it helped the nation achieve its goal of economic superiority, growth and development. Many of the scholars have established the fact that the ideology that the nation upholds and pursues also influences the foreign policy of any nation. In the case of Great Britain it can clearly be seen through the role it played during the cold war years (Crocker III, H. W. 2006). The country till then had become a democracy and had adopted the capitalist mode of economic development. It thus chose the western block which believed to champion the same ideologies, and UK was a leading nation in championing these ideologies in the international forum. Public opinion and international pressures also influence the formulation of international policy of the country. It has been realized that the cat of decolonization of the various colonies of the country was bought about through international condemning of the colonialism and also through mass pressure, both from the population of the colonies as well as the citizens of the nation. It was through democratic elections where the Labor party was elected to power who were champions of decolonization as against the Conservative Party which looked at the maintenance of status quo in all aspects of state legislation. In the current case scenario the most important factor that affects the foreign policy of any nation is that of economic nature. It has been seen that in the globalised world that has emerged, no country can exist in isolation and all the countries in the world need to take into account the position it holds in the international arena and the economic requirements of the country. Therefore, it has been seen that the countries which are economically more developed dominate in the international arena, and can dictate the diplomatic relations it maintains with other nations than those who are still not economically developed but in the developing mode. In the case of the United Kingdom, the country is one of the economically advanced nations and it due to this that the country is usually able to establish relations with other counties on its own terms. This leads to manipulation of the lesser developed countries, and some scholars have termed this as neo colonialism, where the colonial powers control the economic and political scenario of other nations through indirect means and international treaties rather than direct subjugation. Thos leads to the realization of the foreign policy of the nation through exploitation. There are a number of tools that the nation utilized to ensure that the foreign policy that it has adopted can be realized. These are international propaganda, international ethics, covert action, etc. For example, the United Nations is an international forum that looks into matters of international concern. It has over the years set various norms and yard sticks which no country can ignore. This is clearly reflected in the norms that have been set by the UN in relation to human rights. No country today in the foreign policy can adopt or reflect that it is not concerned with and committed to the ideals of human rights and its protection and propagation in the national and international forum. The policy of the international relations of the country has changed little over the years. The country has always looked at certain ideologies when it looks at the foreign policy formulation. Te most important is of course that of national interests, but there are also other ideologies that have been strongly pioneered by the nation. One such policy is that of maintenance of balance of power in the international arena. The country has always maintained that there should be maintained a balance of power and that no nation should be able to boast of unilateral power in the world. This is the reason why the country decided to join the axis powers during the First World War although it had close relations with the country of Germany. Today the country still pursues the policy of alignment to ensure that no power block become too important or powerful (Smith, Hadfield and Dunne, Chpt 1, online). The realization of the fact that these alignments also affect the policy formulation of any nation also has to be actualized. The United Kingdom has also been assigned with the international organization of NATO, the European Union, etc. It joined the NATO to ensure that the military power of the Soviet Union in the post second world war period does not grow without any check or restrain and that the international power balance be sustained. It has to be realized that there have been a number of changes that have taken place in the past which also need to be taken into account. These also have to be accommodated into the foreign policy of the nation. Thus, the foreign policy of any country does not function in isolation but is developed in relation to the country’s interaction with other nation states (Fisk R, 2005). Thus, there are certain characteristics of foreign policy of the nation that can be identified as its own. Firstly it has to be realized that the foreign policy of a nation has to be dynamic and is formulated in the reaction to other nation states and their actions, but there are certain ideological values and goals that are always present while formulating the foreign policy of a nation. This includes the national commitments and aspirations of the nation which it wants to achieve in the long run. Secondly, it also has to be ensured that the process of policy formulation is lengthy and tedious; it involves various levels as well as a number of officials of various areas of the government are involved. In this scenario there has been a recent change and a number of outsiders like foreigners, other nation states and NGOs are also involved in the process (Crocker III, H. W. 2006). But no matter how lengthy the process or how drawn out, it is still one of the most secretive and prioritized part of the government’s agenda. It is not just the masses who are kept segregated from the rationale behind the foreign policies adopted but the decisions and the factors affecting them are usually revealed to few top most officials alone. Even on a matter as important as the legal basis for war against Iraq, for instance, parliament received only a brief summary of the Attorney-General’s opinion as a reply to a written question in the House of Lords (House of Commons Information Office 2009). There has to be realized that there exists tensions between the executive branch of the government and the secretaries of the state. There executive branch wants to ensure that it is responsible for the policy formulation and continues to look for venues through which it can centralize power and lead in the coordination of policy formulation. On the other hand the secretaries of the state want to continue retaining the power that is at present in their hands. It has been seen that the theory of coordination has been ideologies but when it comes to practical implementation it is seen that the forces involved are not firmly committed to the ideas of coordination. The most important factor that needs to be realized is that the process is carried out by the non permanent ministerial group and the political advisors. They are firmly committed to the ideals of political inclinations. On the other hand there are the permanent officials who are the civil servants. They serve the ministers as well as the nation and have to know what is on the minister’s mind along with ensuring that they remain loyal to the state and its aspirations, and look at the long run aspirations and not just the political needs of the time. The foreign policy that has been adopted by New Labor reflects all the characteristics that have been mentioned above as well as the tensions between the ministers and the permanent state employees. There has been seen that in the recent times the foreign policy of the country has had to take into account not only international threats from other nation through acts of aggression, but also the threats of external aggression through terrorism. Earlier the country adopted the system a system of foreign policy that actively pursued alignment with other nations to protect against aggression. The nation state entered into a number of international treaties and pacts to secure assurance of a balance of power and security. This is usually either when a country joins an alliance to protect against a threat. Alliances are most commonly viewed as a response to threats, yet there is sharp disagreement as to what that response will be. When entering an alliance, a nation stare may either be balancing, that is, they may be entering into alliances as an ally in opposition to the principle source of threat or it may be bandwagon, where the nation stare may enter into an alliance to ensure that it is ally with the state that poses the threat (Carver, Michael, 1986). The nation state of UK has always pursued the policy of alliance for balance in its international relations so as to ensure that there is maintenance of international cooperation and peace. There are a number of acts that are carried out by the sate to ensure that the foreign policy that has been pursued by the nation is maintained. The country has formulated it foreign policy in accordance to the requirements of the time to ensure that the challenges of the times are met and accommodated. In the period that followed the Second World War, the nation state of United Kingdom adopted the policy of decolonization from the 1950s. This policy was adopted by the nation in accordance with the UN resolution which was faithful to the idea of decolonization. It followed an active policy of decolonization. In the years of 1962 to 1966 there was seen that the country was actively involved in a war against Indonesia to ensure that its former colony Malaya into the free federation of Malaysia, but Indonesia wanted to capture control over the island of Borneo. In early January 1963 the military forces in northern Borneo (Tuck, C 2004), having arrived in December 1962 in response to the Brunei Revolt, were under the command of COMBRITBOR, Major General Walter who was Director of Borneo Operations (DOBOPS) based on Labuan Island reporting directly to the Commander in Chief Far East Forces Admiral Sir David Luce. Luce was routinely replaced by Admiral Sir Varyl Begg in early 1963. The Emergency Committees that were situated in Sarawak and the North Borneo had vested in them the politico-military authority and this included the Governors of the areas, who were the Commanders in Chief for their colonies. In Brunei there was a State Advisory Council answerable to the Sultan. Britain ensured that the regional integrity of the region was maintained. A more active case study is that of the Gulf war in the year of 1991. This helps provide an example where the country entered into an alliance to ensure protection against threat at an international arena in accordance to international law. he Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), also known as the First Gulf War, the Second Gulf War, by Iraqi leader Saddam Husain as The Mother of all Battles, and commonly as Desert Storm for the military response, was the final conflict, which was initiated with United Nations authorization, by a coalition force from 34 nations against Iraq (Hudson V, online), with the expressed purpose of expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after its invasion and annexation on 2 August 1990. It posed an international threat to peace and security and the United Kingdom has also extended military aid as well soldiers had been deployed by it to the area in accordance to the steps taken by the UN. The troops were led by the US. The tropps had been a coalition of 34 nations which were formed in accordance to the UN resolution 678 which was adopted in 1990. Thus the foreign policy of the nation has changed and evolved in the past and it continues to do so till date. It has been observed that there have been many scholars who have criticized the changing role of the country in accordance to its foreign policy. It has been seen that the role that the country played in the international forum has reduced. This is mainly due to the fact that in the post second world war period the country was unable to sustain its position as a super power in the world, as it had lost heavily in both the world wars and also lost resources due to de colonization. From the 1950s the country has reduced its activity, and has pursued policies to ensure strengthening of its economy. Many believe that the policy of the country today is only a reflection of the policy of the US, and because the nation state is so dependent on the US for aid and its economy it has lost its ability for a free and unbiased foreign policy application. But the role that the factors play cannot be undermined, although there is a grain of truth in the statement stated above. The country is today a part of numerous organizations, such as the UN, NATO, Commonwealth, G7, G8,G20, OECD, WTO, etc. the country has a rich heritage of the Great British empire and this cannot be undermined by any action. The foreign policy of the country is till date an important factor that affects the world politics and cannot be ignored in the international context on any account. References: Brown, Chris: ‘The State and Foreign Policy’ 68-84, in Chris Brown Understanding international relations, accessed at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=w693ysxclgIC&lpg=PP1&dq=understanding%20international%20relations&lr=&hl=ar&pg=PA84#v=onepage&q=&f=false  Carlsnaes W: The Agency-Structure Problem in Foreign Policy Analysis, Mershon, International studies Review 39, pp 133-135. Carver, Michael 1986: 'Conventional Warfare in the Nuclear Age' in Peter Paret (ed). The Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Crocker III, H. W. 2006:  Don't Tread on Me. New York: Crown Forum. pp. 384.   Crocker III, H. W. 2006: Empire, The rise and demise of the British world order and the lessons for global power. Basic Books.  Freedom L: logic, Politics and Foreign policy processes, pp 6-15 accessed on January 4, 2010 at http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.5&thid=125f29d7d79042c1&mt=application/pdf&url=http://mail.google.com/mail/%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D1e65e01cec%26view%3Datt%26th%3D125f29d7d79042c1%26attid%3D0.5%26disp%3Dattd%26realattid%3Df_g3zd7ios4%26zw&sig=AHIEtbS3NJAHe3jB5irOgkN6LE5_YDNV5g. Fisk R: The Great War for Civilization; the Conquest of the Middle East (Fourth Estate, 2005), p.853  House of Commons Information Office 2009: "Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet and Parliamentary Team", UK Parliament, July 2009. Hudson V: Foreign policy analysis: classic & contemporary theory, accessed on January 4, 2010 at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-hGVx4zicB4C&lpg=PP1&hl=ar&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Smith, Hadfield and Dunne: Chpt 1, accessed on January 4, 2010 at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CNFnqEHIFNAC&lpg=PP1&dq=Smith%2C%20Hadfield%20and%20Dunne&lr=&hl=ar&pg=PT29#v=onepage&q=&f=false  Tuck, C. "Borneo 1963–66: Counter-insurgency Operations and War Termination", Small Wars and Insurgencies, Vol 15, No 3, Winter 2004.   Read More