3 Review(s)

For 2nd and 3rd year courses in international politics and foreign policy. This text examines foreign policy in relation to 'change and transformation.' It discusses traditional assumptions about foreign policy and foreign policy making, and develops a framework to facilitate analysis of the challenges faced by foreign policy makers in the late 1990s. The central elements of the framework are the foreign policy arena, decision-making and implementation. The book then applies the framework to a set of regional case studies, to explore the global and regional arenas and the challenges to which they give rise. Finally, specific case studies of two countries per region highlight the range of impacts for the changing global and regional context, to focus on the analysis of decision-making and implementation, and to illustrate the benefits of comparative analysis. Salient Features Puts the study of foreign policy within the broader development of world politics and the world political economy. Provides an integrated approach with both conceptual and applied frameworks within the theme of change and transformation as a key factor in foreign policy development. Part I identifies approaches to analysis and comparison and provides a toolkit for the framing of the case studies in Part II. Part II applies the frameworks developed, identifying the regional and global context, the substance of policy, the role of institutions and policy makers and the patterns of foreign policy action produced. Treatment is explicitly comparative to pick up key trends in policy. Takes into account the distinctive nature of world politics in the post Cold War era, whilst providing an introduction to traditional themes in the study of foreign policy. Gives a consistent structure to the case studies examined, whilst allowing for the treatment of distinctive features and trends in each of the case studies. Provides the basis for active learning by students through the provision of questions for discussion and investigation. Each chapter includes introductions and summaries to guide students through text. Includes boxes and exhibits in the text in each chapter; tables, maps and diagrams, and notes on further reading to make the text more user friendly.