Preview

American Foreign Policy

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2876 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
American Foreign Policy
Providing Examples (of BOTH events and individuals) explain the degree to which the personality and mental state of decision-makers impose themselves onto the foreign policy of states and how is this explained by our study of Foreign Policy

Word Count: 3,071

Ryan Baldry
INR 6415: Foreign Policy Analysis
Dr. James D. Boys
5th November 2013
The aim of this essay is to analyse three individuals who have all shaped foreign policy in their own, very distinct ways; Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger. Firstly, this paper will discuss the state of mind of Tony Blair throughout his premiership and just before he won leadership of the Labour Party. As well as this, the concept of Blair’s ‘Messianic’ complex will also be analysed to discover the degree to which that affected any, if not all, of his foreign policy decisions. Secondly, this paper will discuss the way in which Margaret Thatcher’s unique position affected her decisions with specific focus on the Falklands invasion and her motives for not allowing the island to fall. Thirdly, this paper will discuss the ways in which Henry Kissinger carried out his role as NSA advisor, and later Secretary of State, under the Nixon administration. There will be a specific analysis of Kissinger’s thought process and they ways in which this would have had an impact on the way in which he worked. The question of whether Kissinger was carrying out US foreign policy or a version of his own will also be discussed. Finally, this essay will conclude with an analysis of how there are a number of different factors which can all have a substantial impact upon an individual, regardless of how insignificant they may at first appear.

To properly be able to understand the topic of foreign policy decision making, it is crucial that we are first able to understand the individual at the centre of that process. It has been suggested by some theorists that the state is the base level


Bibliography: Campbell, Alastair. The Blair Years: The Alastair Campbell Diaries. London: Random House, 2007. Dallek, Robert. Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power. London: Penguin, 2007. Dyson, Stephen Benedict. "Personality and Foreign Policy: Tony Blair 's Iraq Decisions." Foreign Policy Analysis 2 (2006): 289-306. Hermann, Margaret G. "Explaining Foreign Policy Behaviour Using the Personal Characteristics of Political Leaders." International Studies Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing) 24, no. 1 (March 1980): 7-46. Hill, Christopher. "The Blair Effect: The Blair Government 1997-2001." In Foreign Policy, by Anthony Seldon, 332. London: Little, Brown & Company, 2001. Ipsos MORI. Conservative Leader Image. September 11, 2013. http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemID=58&view=wide (accessed November 1, 2013). Parker, Robert J. British Prime Ministers. Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing, 2013. Rothkopf, David. Running the World. New York: PublicAffairs, 2006. Siniver, Asaf. Nixon, Kissinger and U.S. Foreign Policy Making: The Machinery of Crisis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Starr, Harvey. "The Kissinger Years: Studying Individuals and Foreign Policy." International Studies Quarterly 24, no. 4 (1980): 465-496. Sticha, Paul J. , Dennis M. Buede, and Richard L. Rees. It 's the People, Stupid: The Role of Personality and Situational Variables in Predicting Decisionmaker Behavior. Thesis, Human Resources Research Organisation, Alexandria: MORS, 2006, 1-16. Suri, Jeremi. Henry Kissinger and the American Century. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office. "Defence Programme." The Defence Budget 1983. Speech. Prod. The National Archives. London, June 25, 1981. Watkins, Alan. A Conservative Coup: The Fall of Margaret Thatcher. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, 1992.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    PAD 540 Assignment 1 Event Analysis 911 Strayer Latest
    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    PAD 540 Assignment 1 Event Analysis 911 Strayer Latest

    Select a wellknown international political event that has impacted the United States foreign policy. For example, the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., Iraq, China, or Japan that would be good events for this and the following assignments. You will be using the same event for all writing assignments in the course, so read through the descriptions of Assignments 2, 3, and 4 to make sure your event can be applied in all four (4) assignments. Write a 67 page paper in which you 1.Briefly describe the event you have chosen. 2.Identify the political actors and nonstate actors and explain how each are or were involved. 3.Explain the major factors affecting foreign policy decisions and international relations (influences at three (3) levels). 4.Using the theories of international politics, perform a level of analysis for each paradigm. 5.Research and cite at least three (3) peerreviewed academic sources. Your assignment must…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Assess the View That the Disagreements About the Second Front Were the Most Significant Cause of Tension Between Russia and the West Between 1941-5?
    • 2524 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Assess the View That the Disagreements About the Second Front Were the Most Significant Cause of Tension Between Russia and the West Between 1941-5?

    G. Kolko. The Politics of War: The World and United States Foreign Policy, 1943-1945. London: Vintage Books, 1970.…

    • 2524 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mr Jamal
    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mr Jamal

    This review focuses on the contents of chapter three of Leaders At War by Elizabeth N. Saunders. Saunders dedicated this chapter to the explaining intervention through the president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her main Argument is that Eisenhower’s is an externally focused leader and as such, his beliefs about the origins of threats shaped his decision to intervene. This review does not criticize the author’s argument about the former president but it does however criticize her methodology through the use of cost benefit calculations. I argue that Saunders, in trying to explain leadership choices in times of war, uses special cases that would only aid her argument and not go against it and for this reason, her argument becomes weak.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    John Foster Dulles Summary
    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages

    John Foster Dulles Summary

    After supporting the New Look policy for most of his term, he came to the realization that it was a policy, that if utilized, it would only bring destruction since there were no nuclear weapons that could contain damage as he thought (174). This transformation reveals that he realized that the previous policy was not as effective as he thought and he was willing to admit that he was wrong, but he had convinced Eisenhower early on of the policy’s significance that he could not change the president’s mind (182). Overall, Dulles’s time as secretary of state was well spent, regardless of the fact he often resorted to hyperboles. He was able to shape foreign policy for the remainder of the Cold War by providing examples of both his successes and failures in foreign policy. Dulles was the mastermind behind the administration because no one else had the audacity to provide the same advice that he did to the president, who in turn, could not reach the same conclusions without Dulles.…

    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Kissinger's Role In The Vietnam War
    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page

    Kissinger's Role In The Vietnam War

    When Nixon called Kissinger to be National Security Adviser, head of the National Security Council, he has the idea that this man will help meet the challenges of America. Confronting the communist revolution throughout the world, Kissinger will however refuse rigidity, which for him can be dangerous in this nuclear age and to seek compromise and diplomacy…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nixon And Kissinger-Partners In Power Case Study
    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nixon And Kissinger-Partners In Power Case Study

    Working side by side in the White House, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger were two of the most compelling, contradictory, and powerful figures in America in the second half of the twentieth century. While their personalities could hardly have seemed more different, both were largely self-made men, brimming with ambition, driven by their own inner demons, and often ruthless in pursuit of their goals. Tapping into a wealth of recently declassified documents and tapes, Robert Dallek uncovers fascinating details about Nixon and Kissinger’s tumultuous personal relationship—their collaboration and rivalry—and the extent to which they struggled to outdo each other in the reach for foreign policy achievements. He also brilliantly analyzes their dealings with power brokers at home and abroad—including the nightmare of Vietnam, the brilliant opening to China, détente with the Soviet Union, the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, the disastrous overthrow of Allende in Chile, and growing tensions between India and Pakistan—while recognizing how both men were continually plotting to distract the American public’s attention from the growing scandal of Watergate. Authoritative, illuminating, and deeply engrossing, Nixon and Kissinger provide a startling new portrait and a new understanding of the immense power and sway these two men held in affecting world history.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    9-11 and the Effects on the America
    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages

    9-11 and the Effects on the America

    Papp, Daniel S., Loch K. Johnson, and John E. Endicott. American Foreign Policy: History, Politics, and Policy. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Print.…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Iran Hostage Crisis: End to a Presidency
    • 7054 Words
    • 19 Pages

    The Iran Hostage Crisis: End to a Presidency

    McDermett, Rose. “Prospect Theory in International Relations: The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission.” Political Psychology, 13, no. 2 (1992): 237-263. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3791680…

    • 7054 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Cold War
    • 4652 Words
    • 19 Pages

    Cold War

    For Americans and many in the world, the Cold War dominated international relations from 1945-1991. Only the nuclear balance of terror prevented this uneasy peace from becoming all out war, and few if any events could be understood outside of the context of this bipolar rivalry. As the Cold War came to an end, some thought we had witnessed "an end to history."(1) Instead, we have witnessed a fundamental change in the logic of world politics. The United States has had difficulty developing a clear and coherent foreign policy in this new era. The New World Order of President Bush and the strategy of engagement and enlargement of President Clinton seem vague and ambiguous when compared to the clarity and simplicity of the American policy of containment during the Cold War. While this policy of containment rapidly gained a consensus both among the American foreign policy elite as well as the mass public after World War Il, it did represent a fundamental shift of relations with the Soviet Union from one of wartime cooperation. Explaining the origins of the Cold War has been one of the most common and contested topics in the study of American diplomatic history, and the end of the Cold War has changed how historians examine and interpret this period. Increasingly, scholars have gained access to documents, especially on the Soviet side, that have allowed them to go beyond past conjecture and utilize archival evidence. The end of the Cold War has removed much of the passion that surrounded writing Cold War history while scholars and states were still living it. This increased detachment has allowed historians to move from placing blame to recognizing the ideological conflict that was at the center of the Cold War's origins.…

    • 4652 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Vietnam War
    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Vietnam War

    Citations: Hook, Steven and John Spainer. American Foreign Policy Since World War II Eighteenth Edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010.…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Is Henry Kissinger Important
    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Why Is Henry Kissinger Important

    Diplomatic history dates back to ancient times. Undoubtedly, each epoch had its great diplomats, who have contributed not only to the development of international relations, but also had an impact on the course of world history. One of the most famous and successful diplomats of all times is Henry Alfred Kissinger, the American diplomat, statesman and expert in the field of international relations. The name of this person attracts the attention of many politicians, scientists and analysts for many years. And it is not surprising, as he has been one of the most respectful personalities in international relations since a long time.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Berlin Crisis of 1961 from Perspective of Realism Theory
    • 4317 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Berlin Crisis of 1961 from Perspective of Realism Theory

    Walt, Stephen M, International Relations: One World, Many Theories, Foreign Policy, (1998) Spring, pp. 31-32…

    • 4317 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Applying Graham Allison's Three Models To The Cuban Missile Crisis
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Applying Graham Allison's Three Models To The Cuban Missile Crisis

    When discussing foreign policy it is helpful to categorize it into three measures: goals, values, and means. The political goals are what the nation’s leaders desire to attain internationally, the values are those that are held by the relevant actors involved, and the means are how such stated goals are accomplished. In attempting to explain how this creates relevant, coherent policy, Graham Allison develops three models and uses them in the case study of the Cuban Missile Crisis to demonstrate how they apply. In Allison’s explanation of his models and subsequent application of these models to the Cuban Missile Crisis, he argues that the Rational Theory model (Model I) is not a sufficient way to explain the formation of foreign policy. He argues that there are too many gaps in Model I and thus presents two models that could better represent how foreign policy is actually made. These two models are Organizational Process model (Model II) and Bureaucratic Politics model (Model III). Each focuses on the bureaucracies in government and the role they play in policy making decision. As he explains, Allison demonstrates through Model II the importance of bureaucracies as organizations and the necessity of the Standard Operating Procedures they implement to achieve their organizational goals. Model III also focuses on bureaucracies but instead…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Tony Blair: Prime Minister or President?
    • 3362 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Tony Blair: Prime Minister or President?

    Ever since he swept to power in 1997, Tony Blair’s unique dominance over his party and indeed, the UK’s political scene, has attracted comparisons with a ‘presidential’ figure. Inevitably, the president most often cited is the American one. This note seeks to analyse: the origin of this debate about the increased importance of the British Prime Minister; the impact of Thatcher and Blair on the debate; and why the arguments in favour of there being a British Presidency might possibly be persuasive.…

    • 3362 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Truman's Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
    • 2152 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Truman's Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb

    [ 2 ]. Walker, J. Samuel. Prompt & Utter Destruction, The University of North Carolina Press. 1997,2004. Pg. 38…

    • 2152 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics