intro to individual level foreign policy

Bright Mhango, SC

Theory:

WaltzSystemic level looks at the role of the

international system as a wholeNational level which examines the role of

the state Individual level focuses on the

idiosyncratic nature of individual leaders in determining a nation’s foreign policy.

Individual TheoriesRooted in Psychology - Gerner in Neack et all

(1995)

‘‘individuals tend to be much more closed-minded due to their beliefs and the way they process information thus, they tend to resist adapting to changes in the environment.”

Warningdomestic politics, external factors, public opinion, the complexity and gravity of decision to be

made, the time available to make the decision

(Neack, 1995: Passim)

Examples…

BlairStephen Dyson in his 2006 study found, for

example that how the erstwhile British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s ‘personality and leadership style did indeed shape both the process and outcome of British foreign policy toward Iraq.’

Dwight and DullesDouglas Foyle in his 1997 study examined

personal beliefs President Dwight Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Dulles regarding how public opinion might have affected the way they framed they conducted their foreign policy in reaction to the September 1954 Chinese offshore islands crisis.

American elitesHolsti and Rosenau investigated the changes

in foreign policy beliefs and perceptions of U.S. opinion leaders. They found that the elite foreign policy consensus (that saw communism as the single most important threat to U.S. interests) that existed during the cold war era was shattered during the Vietnam War. (Rosati, 1995)

Hermanian studies Margaret Hermann. researched on the personal

characteristics of world leaders to determine the circumstances under which these will represent a significant influence on foreign policy decision making.

In a series of articles (e.g., 1978,1980,1984) Hermann examined leaders' operational codes or views of the world, political styles, interest and training in foreign affairs, conceptual complexity (sensitivity to the environment), and political socialization, as well as their constituencies and the functions they perform in relation to those constituencies.

All of these, Hermann concluded, need to be taken into account in order to assess leaders' impact on foreign policy.

Shinzo Abe

AbeFamilyChildhoodSayingsPolicy

Mao/DengWarCommunistDistrust of WestSuspicious of capitalism

As Jervis concluded, "It is often impossible to explain crucial decisions and policies without reference to the decision makers' beliefs about the world and their images of others" (1976,28).