Foreign Policy Analysis

Foreign policy analysis studies how states make foreign-policy decisions — the actors, processes, and psychology behind state action.

Scope

It covers decision-making models, bureaucratic and organizational politics, the psychology of leaders, and domestic sources of foreign policy.

Core questions

• How do states actually make foreign-policy decisions?
• What role do bureaucracy and organizations play?
• How do leaders' perceptions shape policy?
• How do domestic politics affect foreign policy?

Key concepts

• Rational actor model
• Bureaucratic politics
• Organizational process
• Misperception
• Groupthink
• Two-level games

Key theories

Models of decision

Allison's rational, organizational-process, and bureaucratic-politics models reframed foreign-policy decision-making.

Perception and misperception

Jervis applied cognitive psychology to foreign-policy decisions and conflict.

History

Foreign policy analysis developed Allison's decision-making models and Jervis's cognitive approach, and now studies leaders, domestic politics, and two-level games.

Debates

Unitary rational state versus internal politics

Whether to model states as unitary rational actors or as arenas of bureaucratic and psychological process.

Key figures

• Graham Allison
• Robert Jervis

Seminal works

• allison-1971
• jervis-1976

Frequently asked questions

What is the bureaucratic politics model?

Allison's model explaining foreign-policy decisions as outcomes of bargaining among government actors with differing interests.