Introduction
The book critiqued is titled “Foreign Policy Analysis: New Approaches” by Chris Alden, and Amnon Aran, it was published in 2016 by Routledge in London. Chris Alden is a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of International Relations. Moreso, Alden holds a post as a research associate at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa. On the other hand, Amnon Aran is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Politics at City University London, UK. The book contains 196 pages which have been divided into 8 chapters. The front cover of the book is so captivating as the author uses symbolism with the flags symbolizing a group of states as part of the international system. This book is a construct of the first edition and it strengthens the conversation between foreign policy analysis and international relations.
Central Thesis:
The main focus of the book is on the effects of foreign decision-making on the conduct of states in the international systems. Furthermore, the book focuses on the assessment of the relationship between agency, policy, and actors in the international system. The book further describes several theoretical approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis (p.3).
Critical Evaluation of the Book
Chapter 1: Chapter One is an overview of foreign policy analysis whereby it indicates that foreign policy is an ever-changing subject on how individuals, institutions, and states engage with each other within a dynamic international system. The authors used a classic example of Russia’s foreign policy in the understanding of the complexity of the international systems (p.3). Foreign policy is not just an evaluation of how the state conducts alone but also the non-state actors who are part and parcel of the international system something the authors in the book have left out. There is a positive observation while reading the book on the writing style. The authors used a step-by-step concise overview that reflects on the contents of the chapters.
Chapter 2: The second chapter reflects on foreign decision-making as a process in foreign policy that seeks to unblock and explain the complexities of states’ conduct in the international system (p.19). Foreign decision-making is a complex process that involves both state and non-state actors. The authors’ use of the realism approach in FPA is significant, however, its rationality is questionable because it aligns a state as a unitary actor that solely conducts itself in international affairs compromising the integral part non-state actors play (p.20). This chapter reflects on the use of rationalists in the understanding of contemporary international affairs. The authors debated the rationality approach in foreign decision-making. Furthermore, a more classic approach debated is the game theory which has been speculated to be an effective tool in decision-making in FPA, especially during crises on how the state should conduct itself in the international settings (p.21).
Chapter 3: The role bureaucrats play in foreign policy is of much significance; however, the authors have indicated that new directions on the work of bureaucrats on foreign policy analysis have been overlooked. There is a need to include behavioral, sociological, and organizational theories in the evaluation of how the state should conduct itself in international affairs. The authors call for an integration of these theories with the bureaucracy as a way of determining the role of bureaucracy in shaping foreign policy analysis.
Chapter 4: This Chapter reflects on the domestic sources of foreign policy. The authors of the book indicate that the FPA scholars showed interest in the societal sources of domestic policy. The positive criticism of this book is that through the interest of the FPA scholars, it resulted in the development of a domestic structure approach. This approach was categorized into two; the first strand or category dealt with the effects of the material aspect of a country or a state. The second category developed an even more sophisticated notion of the domestic structure. This category deals with the nature of the political institutions (state), with the basic features of the society, and with the institutions and organizational arrangements linking the state and the society, and channeling its societal demands to the political systems. The pluralism approach has been advocated by a myriad of sub-state and non-state actors within the domestic arena (p.71).
Chapter 5: Foreign policy analysis and the state. The authors indicated that the International Relations discourse was widely dominated by the Realist school of thought. The realist school of thought perceived the state as a unitary, rational actor that pursues a supreme national interest in an anarchic international environment. The criticism here is that a state constitutes a whole country and all that is in it and simplifies the state as a unitary actor resulting in the disappearance of its conceptualization. Non-state actors such as Multinational Companies and Transnational actors play a vital role in foreign analysis and this book has heavily debated FPA based on state actors (pp.87-88).
Chapter 6: The authors shed light on the exclusion of globalization in FPA, and it’s a problem that requires much attention (p.107). Globalization as a process is well understood from the foreign policy analysis lens. For a clear understanding of the implications of globalization on foreign policy analysis are; hyperglobalist, global-skeptic, and transformationalist thesis (p.110). Globalization shaped foreign policy from the theses discussed with the revolution in information and technology and capitalism which resulted in democratic states and it is such a notion that propelled the peaceful, prosperity of the nations.
Chapter 7: Change is an inevitable phenomenon. However, there have been cases of neglect of change in the study of foreign policy (p125). Change should be embraced by the characters in the international system as a way of advocating for peace, security, and prosperity in the states. Change is a gradual phenomenon and its integration in the FPA is significant. The arguments or debate of FPA change are from the works of Hann Hermann. There are two forms of foreign policy change; static and strategic. Static change is the shift within the established policy framework; while strategic change is a more fundamental shift in foreign policy based on re-examining of the foreign policy and state position in the international system (p.126).
Chapter 8: The authors conclude the book by indicating the rationale of the book as the provision of a basis for an evaluation of the foreign policy analysis regarding new developments in the International Relations field. The authors re-examine the premises that have been at the center of Foreign Policy Analysis. The book concluded by proposing the embracing of constructivism and cognition theoretical approach in the understanding of the conduct of the state in foreign policy.
Conclusion
The authors, however, focused a lot on the realist theory which described state actors as unitary actors. The authors should have integrated the significance and the implications of the other classic approaches in the understanding of the role and impact of FPA on the international system. The actions undertaken by a state should be in the interest of the nation; however, this is not right when it comes to such a tyrant state like Russia whose leadership contrasts bureaucracy. Moreover, the authors should debate the roles played by non-state actors in shaping the FPA and international relations (IR) in general. A comparative analysis of the role and impact of both the state and non-state actors as part of the international systems will be useful for future developments in the study of FPA. The writer’s choice of words is exemplary with such example as Vladimir Putin described as Soviet’s security apparatus a symbolic of the coerciveness the President adopts in enhancing foreign policy in Russia.
Reference
Chris Alden, & Amnon Aran (2017). Foreign Policy Analysis: New Approaches. 2nd Edition. Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group), New York. pp 1-196.
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