Kursinformation

How do states make foreign-policy decisions in International Relations? What role does the individual decision-maker play and to what extent can the society impact foreign policy? In what way does US foreign policy differ from Chinese foreign policy? In this seminar, we will evaluate these, and further questions, by exploring different perspectives on foreign policy decision-making. We will loosely follow the ‘level of analysis’ approach and look at structural explanations on foreign policy, such as the major IR theories as well as critical theories. Moving down the ladder, we will turn to the state level and investigate how foreign policy decisions are made at the national level by taking a closer look at governmental institutions and group dynamics. We will further assess to what extent societal actors, such as the public, the media and interest groups, can influence foreign policy decisions. At the individual level, we will analyze the importance of individual leaders and their psychological traits. At the end of the seminar, we will evaluate foreign policy decisions regarding ‘Climate Change’ with a special focus on major powers and small states.