Foreign Policy Decisions

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the decision to go to war in Iraq from the perspective of two different explanatory models; the unitary rational actor model, and the domestic politics model. The paper explains how foreign policy is conducted according to the analyses of key factors such as the power relations between states, the ability to project an image of a unitary state, as well as the possibility to agree on an issue inside the circles of domestic politics. The paper deduces from the outcome of the war in Iraq that the the unitary rational actor model was the primary consideration behind the US decision.

From the Paper:

"Decision making represents an essential process of analysis and negotiations. It is the result of a complex set of considerations concerning the actors involved, the circumstances, as well as the factors which could determine the eventual outcome of the policy meant to agree upon.
"Foreign policy decisions are some of the most important ones taken by an administration in the course of history. They can determine the direction in which the country is heading at a particular time. This is why several models that explain the decision making process have been created that enable the decision making people to have a better and more organized process of analysis. It can be said that they have been used throughout history as well as in regard to the more recent events such as the war in Iraq."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nye, Joseph. Understanding international conflicts: an introduction to theory and history. New York: Pearson, 2005
• Softing, Guri Bang. "Climate change policymaking - three explanatory models". Cicero Working Papers. 2000. 14 June 2008 http://www.cicero.uio.no/media/205.pdf

More papers on Foreign Policy Decisions:

• Essay # 53118 : "U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions"
• Analytical Essay # 107265 : "Foreign Policy Decision-Making within the EU"
• Term Paper # 96873 : "Foreign Policy Formulation"
• Essay # 39897 : "Congress and Foreign Policy"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: