Normativa de ocupación y uso del suelo en el

The nature of foreign policy creates a problem of information for the analyst. Foreign policy is a most sensitive aspect of government activity. A lot of what goes into its making is, therefore shrouded in secrecy. Besides, discretions as well as misinformation characterise all modern diplomacy. The analysts thus, encounter the difficulties of getting at the facts before the files are opened. Yet, the analysis of the foreign policy of a state entails the consideration of some matters which no academic observer can be entirely privy.

Sometimes, a former participant in government, like a foreign minister or head of government, may write his reminiscences in a newspaper or publish a book of memoirs to supplement regular source of matter. These are no doubt very helpful, even if they have to be treated with reserve. It is the almost absence of such writings by former practitioners in third World Countries, particularly in Africa that makes analysing the foreign policy of those states more difficult. And the adoption in most African countries especially Nigeria, the British concept of a permanent professional civil service that is immune from public criticism and debarred from public comment, has meant that the possibility of inside information filtering into the public is blocked.

Another difficulty relates to the controversy over the definition of actors in international relations. Foreign policy is seen purely as state action. As J. P. Nestle stresses “for almost all intents and purposes, the state acts for the society internationally, and internal matters

1967). Yet the

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POL344 FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS

comprehension of states’ foreign policies often involve a clear understanding and appreciation of the political role of non-governmental entities in the international system.

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3

Discuss theoretical framework as a problem to the study of foreign policy analysis.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Foreign policy analysis has been at the intersection between a set of fundamentally problematic issues that have had implications for all areas of the study of international relations. This explains the peculiar difficulties that have beset the development of the subject areas, and underlies the current breakdown of consensus on how best to undertake the study of foreign policy analysis. It would be misleading to suggest that there is an easy way out of this problem, and it is unlikely that the subject area will achieve consensus on how to study foreign policy precisely, because the impact of these factors (problems) have been so marked.

This syndrome has led some to portray foreign policy analysis as a pseudo-science, a diagnosis made all more appealing given the grandiose claims advanced by those who claimed that this “normal science” would lead to general theory. The manifest failure to turn this claim into a reality has led to a considerable loss of momentum in the subject, and has resulted in a severe identity crisis. Yet, there is a strong belief that foreign policy analysis has much to offer for the study of international relations.

Foreign policy does not form patterns; it is to be explained by structure and processes that are common, if to variable extents among different states, and the explanation it provides are more economical than other theories of state behaviour. The obvious failures of the grandest scheme have blinded the practioners to their successes. There is no ‘truth’ out there waiting for discovery of one and embracing theory. The scholars and practioners are therefore in business of dealing with competing theories and explanations, and in this light foreign policy analysis has aided, and will continue to aid the study of international relations.

5.0 SUMMARY

The study of foreign policy is fraught with a number of difficulties.

These problems are in part due to the very nature of the subject itself, and also to the current state of development of the discipline.

POL344 FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS

Understanding the foreign policy of a particular country entails examining a mix of factors- historical, ideological, geographical, economic, political and cultural. Often, centered on the state as a major actor, foreign policy making and implementation is unavoidably elitist, as the decision making process mainly involve the executive, the foreign ministry and sometimes the legislative. The pursuit of National Interest is often articulated by the political and economic elite and manifested as foreign policy.

Finally, foreign policy analysis focus on the state and on the content of foreign policy has been particularly problematic, given the recent empirical developments discussed above. Not only does foreign policy analysis have to deal with a shifting and variable notion of the state, it also has to deal with a rapidly changing relationship between foreign and domestic politics and the change that this implies for the domestic setting, and influence upon foreign policy.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. The nature of foreign policy creates problems of information for the analyst. Explain the problems and suggest ways out.

2. How does “establishing boundaries” constitute a problem to the study of foreign policy?

3. In what way has the study of foreign policy analysis aided and will continue to aid the study of international relations?

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Nesttle J.P. (1974). “The States as a Conceptual Variable in World Politics Vol. XX”, Barber & Smith (eds.) The Nature of Foreign Policy, Edinburgh: Holme McDougal.

Ojo, O. & Amadu S. (2002). Concepts in International Relations. Ile-Ife, Nigeria: Classy Prints & Company.

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MODULE 3 FOREIGN POLICY DECISION MAKING