The Eight Key Determinants of Foreign Policy | International Relations | The Alalibo Lectures

Summary

This lecture delves into the determinants of foreign policy, emphasizing factors like geography, history, population, natural resources, economy, military strength, ideology, and stability that shape a nation's interaction with the world. It highlights how countries use these elements to protect their citizens' well-being and represent national interests, influencing global perception and relations.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Foreign policy is a set of decisions and actions by a government to protect its citizens' well-being and represent national interests internationally.
• 🗺 Geography is a critical determinant of foreign policy, influencing a country's strategic location and interactions with neighbors and the global community.
• 🏞 The size and natural elements of a country, such as mountains, rivers, and forests, can shape its foreign policy, especially concerning resource management and environmental conservation.
• 👫 Population size significantly impacts foreign policy, influencing a country's economic power, military strength, and attractiveness to foreign investment.
• 💰 Natural resources endowments like oil, minerals, and fertile lands can translate into economic capacity and influence how countries interact with others on the global stage.
• 🏭 A strong economy is a key factor in formulating impactful foreign policies, allowing countries to have a significant say in international affairs and economic relations.
• 🔫 Military capacity plays a crucial role in determining foreign policy, as countries with military strength can protect their interests, participate in peacekeeping, or exert influence through deterrence.
• 💭 Ideology, whether economic, political, social, or religious, can significantly shape a country's foreign policy and its approach to international relations.
• 🏗 Development and stability, including infrastructure and governance, are important for attracting businesses and investments, thus impacting how a country's foreign policy is perceived and effective.
• 🌟 Countries aim to leverage these determinants to enhance their global impact, ensuring their foreign policies are formulated from positions of strength and attractiveness.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a country's foreign policy?

The primary purpose of a country's foreign policy is to protect the well-being of its citizens and represent their national interests before other countries and subjects of international law.

What are the determinants of foreign policy?

The determinants of foreign policy include geography, history, population, natural resources, economy, military strength, ideology, development, and stability.

How does a country's geography influence its foreign policy?

A country's geography, including its location and natural features, can influence its foreign policy by determining strategic advantages, potential alliances, and economic opportunities related to trade and resource access.

Why is history considered a determinant of foreign policy?

History is a determinant of foreign policy because it shapes a country's culture, traditions, and image, which in turn affect how it is perceived and interacts with other nations.

What role does a country's population play in its foreign policy?

A country's population can impact its foreign policy by influencing its economic strength, military capacity, and international influence, as well as by affecting its consumption and labor force.

How do natural resources affect a country's foreign policy?

Natural resources can affect a country's foreign policy by providing economic leverage, attracting foreign investment, and determining the country's stance on environmental and resource management issues.

What is the relationship between a country's economy and its foreign policy?

A country's economy is closely related to its foreign policy because economic strength influences its international standing, ability to engage in trade, and capacity to provide aid or impose sanctions.

Why is military capacity an important determinant of foreign policy?

Military capacity is an important determinant of foreign policy because it enables a country to protect its interests, project power, participate in peacekeeping, and influence global security dynamics.

How does a country's ideology influence its foreign policy?

A country's ideology, whether it be economic, political, social, or religious, influences its foreign policy by shaping its values, goals, and the types of relationships it seeks to establish with other nations.

What is the significance of development and stability in a country's foreign policy?

Development and stability are significant in a country's foreign policy because they attract foreign investment, tourism, and international cooperation, and they demonstrate the country's ability to maintain internal order and contribute positively to global affairs.

How can a country leverage its determinants of foreign policy to have a global impact?

A country can leverage its determinants of foreign policy to have a global impact by strategically utilizing its geographical advantages, historical legacy, demographic strengths, natural resources, economic power, military capabilities, ideological alignment, and developmental progress to shape its international relations and influence.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to Foreign Policy Determinants

This paragraph introduces the concept of foreign policy determinants, emphasizing their importance in shaping a country's interactions with the global community. It explains that foreign policy is not just about decisions and actions but also about how a country is perceived by others. The paragraph sets the stage for understanding the various factors that influence a nation's foreign policy, such as geography, history, population, and more. It also highlights the significance of having a foundational knowledge of foreign policy to grasp these determinants effectively.

05:00

🗺️ Geography's Role in Shaping Foreign Policy

The second paragraph delves into the first determinant of foreign policy: geography. It discusses how a country's location, whether it's by the sea, near powerful neighbors, or in a strategically important area, can significantly influence its foreign policy. Historical examples, such as Somalia and Ethiopia during the Cold War, are used to illustrate the point. The paragraph also touches on how the size of a country and its natural features can play a role in determining its foreign policy, with examples like Brazil's Amazon, Nepal's Mount Everest, and the Sahara Desert across multiple countries.

10:02

👫 Population and Natural Resources as Foreign Policy Determinants

This paragraph explores the impact of population and natural resources on foreign policy. It explains how large populations, like those of India and China, can lead to significant economic and political influence, attracting foreign investment and shaping a country's foreign policy. The discussion also covers how countries with abundant natural resources can use these assets to their advantage in international relations, dictating their interactions with other nations and forming policies around resource management and trade.

15:02

💼 Economy and Military Strength as Key Foreign Policy Determinants

The fourth paragraph focuses on the economy and military strength as critical determinants of foreign policy. It outlines how a strong economy can lead to a country having a more impactful foreign policy, with the ability to sanction others, provide loans, and make influential statements on the global stage. The paragraph also discusses the importance of military capacity, noting that countries with significant military power can protect their interests, participate in peacekeeping, and exert influence over other nations through their military might.

20:04

🌟 Ideology, Development, and Stability in Foreign Policy

The final paragraph in the script addresses the role of ideology, development, and stability in shaping a country's foreign policy. It highlights how a nation's economic, political, social, and cultural ideologies can significantly influence its interactions with other countries. The paragraph also emphasizes the importance of infrastructure and stability in attracting businesses and investments, which in turn can strengthen a country's foreign policy. The discussion concludes by reinforcing the significance of these determinants in allowing countries to have a more substantial impact on the global stage.

Keywords

💡Foreign Policy

Foreign policy refers to the strategies, decisions, and actions that a government takes to manage its relationships with other countries and international bodies. In the video, it is described as the core of a country's interactions with others, guiding how it is perceived and how it represents its national interests on the global stage. The lecture aims to dissect the determinants that shape these policies, emphasizing their importance in international relations.

💡Determinants

Determinants, in the context of the video, are the various factors that influence a country's foreign policy. The lecture highlights eight main determinants, such as geography and history, which shape how a nation projects its foreign policy to the world. Understanding these determinants is key to comprehending why countries act the way they do internationally.

💡Geography

Geography is presented as a critical determinant of foreign policy because a country's location, size, and natural features can significantly impact its international relations and strategies. For instance, countries located in strategic areas or with valuable natural resources may develop foreign policies aimed at leveraging these geographical advantages.

💡History

History plays a pivotal role in shaping a country's foreign policy by influencing its culture, traditions, and international perception. The video script mentions that a country's past experiences, whether positive or negative, can dictate how it interacts with other nations and how it is perceived by them.

💡Population

Population size is identified as a significant factor in foreign policy because it can determine a country's economic strength, military capacity, and global influence. The lecture uses India and China as examples of populous countries whose foreign policies are influenced by their large human resources and potential for consumption.

💡Natural Resources

Natural resources are highlighted as a key determinant of foreign policy because countries rich in resources can use them as leverage in international negotiations and relationships. The video gives examples of countries with oil, minerals, and other valuable resources that can shape their economic capacity and foreign policy.

💡Economy

Economy is crucial in foreign policy as it reflects a country's financial strength and ability to engage in international trade and investment. The video emphasizes that countries with strong economies can have more impactful foreign policies, as they can offer economic aid, impose sanctions, or be influential in global economic decisions.

💡Military Capacity

Military capacity is mentioned as an important determinant of foreign policy because it can enable a country to protect its interests, project power, and influence global security dynamics. The lecture suggests that countries with significant military strength can shape their foreign policies around their ability to enforce their will or contribute to peacekeeping.

💡Ideology

Ideology is described as a determinant that can significantly influence foreign policy, as it encompasses a country's political, economic, social, and cultural beliefs. The video explains that ideologies such as capitalism, socialism, or a focus on human rights can guide a country's approach to international relations and partnerships.

💡Development and Stability

Development and stability are identified as factors that can attract foreign investment and tourism, thus influencing a country's foreign policy. The video suggests that countries with stable governments and growing infrastructures can craft foreign policies that promote their stability and attract international engagement.

Highlights

Foreign policy is a set of decisions and actions that make up public policy to protect citizens' well-being and represent national interests.

Determinants of foreign policy are the factors on which a country builds its foreign policy.

Foreign policy guides a country's interactions with others and determines its perception in the international community.

Geography is a permanent and stable determinant of foreign policy, influencing a country's strategic location and relations with neighbors.

The size of a country and its natural elements like mountains, oceans, and rivers can shape its foreign policy.

History plays a crucial role in determining how a country is perceived and interacts with others, influencing its foreign policy.

Population size significantly impacts foreign policy, with large populations often translating to economic and political influence.

Natural resources endow countries with economic capacity and can dictate who they choose to engage with internationally.

Economic strength allows countries to have impactful foreign policies and influence others through trade and sanctions.

Military capacity enables countries to assist or threaten others, shaping their foreign policy and international standing.

Ideology, whether economic, political, social, or religious, can base and influence a country's foreign policy.

Development and stability, including infrastructure, attract businesses and investment, impacting how countries formulate their foreign policy.

Countries with strong economies can give loans and determine with whom they will not conduct business, affecting foreign policy.

Military strength can be leveraged to ensure that a country's foreign policy pronouncements are taken seriously.

Countries with ideologies such as capitalism or socialism use these as a foundation for their foreign policy decisions.

Stability and infrastructure are key in attracting tourists and businesses, which in turn can shape a country's foreign policy.

Transcripts

in this lecture students we're going to

be looking at the determinants of

foreign policy every country has foreign

policy that they project to the world

and those policies uh guide their

interactions with other countries those

policies determine how they are

perceived in the community of Nations by

other countries those policies really

are the core of their own interaction

with other countries as well so we are

going to take a look at the determinants

of foreign policy by determinants we are

talking about the factors

on which a country builds its foreign

policy and that is very important

because countries foreign policies but

some are more pronounced than the others

right so we're going to begin to

understand why that is the case now in

the previous lecture we looked at the

components of foreign policy and we

looked at the the different aspects of

foreign policy how foreign policy is put

together here we are looking at the

determinants what determines foreign

policy and how do other countries view

you

across his Summer Country right these

factors determine that it's important to

have a foundational knowledge of foreign

policy and this knowledge that guides

your understanding of the determinants

all right so let's take a look at the

definition here and this is a basic

definition there are many other

definitions of foreign policy this one

is as good as any it says foreign policy

is a set of decisions

a set of decisions right so let's take a

look at it closely set of decisions and

actions that make up public policy of a

government to protect the well-being of

its citizens and represent their

National interest before other countries

and subjects of international law right

so let's pause for a minute and take a

look at this definition a bit closely uh

it says here foreign policy is a set of

decisions

and actions right that make up public

policy so Decisions by the government

right this is Decisions by the

government

Decisions by the government and actions

by the government as well

right so Decisions by the government

actions by the government as well that

make up public policy of a government to

protect the well-being of visualism so

every good foreign policy

aimed at protection of his citizens

because you want to portray to other

countries that you're capable of

protecting your own and your foreign

policy then is hinged on that premise

right so this is very important students

for us to understand this have this

context

so to protect the well-being of his

citizens and represent their national

interests before other countries a

country then protects its citizens and

then projects that view and projects

that perception in International

Community

and that's why oftentimes when citizens

of certain countries get in trouble

their their home government you know

step in and try to get gain their

freedom

they try to gain your freedom that's

part of their National National interest

that's part of their foreign policy and

before other countries right so

represent their national interests for

the countries and subjects of

international law right so foreign

policy into sexual international law and

oftentimes sometimes they don't get

along sometimes there is a contravention

sometimes there is a negative

interaction with international law uh

and sometimes it's congruent with

international law

so understanding foreign policy is

critical to understanding the

determinants of foreign policy students

once again foreign policy is the set of

decisions and actions that make uh that

make up public policy of the government

and again those decisions and actions

are coming from the government itself

right and decisional action sometimes

coming from the citizens themselves and

when they see those decisions and

actions by the citizens they begin to

form their foreign policy around that so

for example if citizens say they want um

more representation they want a

rebranding of their country uh than the

government listens and the government

takes action right so so that would be

uh part of the action and decisions that

people have taken

so here again we say the decisions and

actions that make up the public policy

of a government to protect the

well-being right of the citizens and

represent their national interests

before other countries and subjects of

international law this is very critical

it's very important for us to have this

context

and to look at foreign policy within

this Frame

all right so now we'll begin to look at

the determinants of foreign policy and

there are eight of them now of course

the list is not limited to eight there

are minimal uh factors that could be

included here but we're looking at the

the eight main factors that influence

public policy the first one is geography

right the location of the country is

very key and some countries are located

in strategic uh areas of the world by

Seas by oceans or close to a country

that is very powerful uh Etc right the

geography is so is so critical today

that we cannot uh ignore it right so the

geography is a permanent and stable

determinant of foreign policy right and

it's there or it's natural of course and

it's there and countries take advantage

of it for example during the Cold War

Somalia and Ethiopia were very strategic

because of their locations at the the

Horn of Africa uh and and both Soviet

Union and the United States under West

uh we're unriving for their attention

right they want to be sure that um they

uh you know they get the attention

because of their strategic location and

because of the fact that they were

located in an area that is very Central

in the world

and in terms of shipping and in terms of

having days in the military base and so

forth in this case then the geography

will determine their foreign policy

geography will have a lot to do with

their foreign policy and even your

neighbors right if you have a hostile

neighbor that would determine your

foreign policy that will influence your

foreign policy so geography becomes a

very very important uh determinant and

also we'll talk about geography we talk

about size of the country right so the

size of the country is very important as

well and of course that comes with you

know natural elements like mountains and

valleys and and oceans and rivers bodies

of water forests and so forth Brazil is

a huge country as an example it has the

Amazon

and of course it has it can shape its

foreign policy around the Amazon right

the country is looking to come to uh

DeForest you know come to uh you know

take away some of the resources and so

forth Brazil can have policies against

that policies guiding that Etc so

geography becomes key a key element the

size of the country the the natural

elements of the country uh the country

like Nepal has Mount Everest which is

the tallest mountain in the world

country like Tanzania has man

Kilimanjaro and they can determine that

the Sahara Desert spans through many

countries 11 countries and and those

countries can use that natural element

to determine their foreign policy as

well because you know there may be other

countries interested in in that natural

element and they may say they may just

you know formulate their foreign policy

around that so this is very critical in

terms of geography right and so did and

so geography then plays a critical role

in terms of how countries you know

formulate their foreign policy history

is also key here history is very

important in terms of your culture in

terms of your origin in terms of the

challenges in and how you came about as

a people is very important here as well

right the history determines uh

sometimes determines how you're seeing

by others how you perceived by others

your interaction with others if your

history is a good one it may influence

others and your foreign policy may have

uh more effects maybe more impactful

history becomes key and history

determines a lot of things right when

countries have good history it

determines a lot of things history

shapes the tradition and the image the

society portrays it's all embedded in

the history history becomes a key

determinant of foreign policy if your

history is like ugly one sometimes to be

difficult to Fashion a foreign policy

that is respectable that other countries

will come to say yes this is a good

foreign policy and we can work with this

because they know your history it's not

a good one history becomes key it

becomes pivotal to foreign policy

formulation population is the next one

so our population is a very interesting

one because it impacts foreign policy

very very very significantly now take a

look at the two largest countries in the

world India and China

they are very influential they're very

influential they are very powerful

economically militarily politically they

impact their region and they are

respected uh because they're huge

countries they are manufacturing

countries and because of their

population while they can manufacture

quite a lot they have Manpower they have

human resources because of their

population they have human resources and

when you have human resources that goes

with consumption right so consumption

becomes part of the equation and

countries know that you have a large

population they will be looking to come

to your country to invest

because they know that you have volume

they'll be looking to come to your

country to invest and this is a very

important point for us to highlight when

we talk about population and we have the

example of India and China we even have

countries like Brazil and Pakistan in

the top 10 in terms of population

Nigeria Russia all of those countries

have big economies they have large

economies and because they have large

economies right countries are looking to

come to invest and they formulate their

foreign policies around around their

population around you know the need for

countries to come in and invest in their

countries so population plays a very

high voter role as well your population

determines your weight in most cases

determines uh resources determines

ability to interact determines Your

Capacity in terms of direct foreign

investments because countries know that

you have the value and if they establish

businesses in your country they know

that they will have you know quite a lot

of resources because you have the volume

of people that will be consuming their

products natural resources also

determine uh foreign policy natural

resources countries that are endowed in

natural resources uh translates the

economic capacity

and translate into ability in in areas

of business

and translate into ability to interact

with others in the International

Community on equal footing and that

determines your your foreign policy so

our countries in the in the Middle East

the ones that are very very powerful in

terms of that have economic resources

and so forth they are interacting well

with International Community they are

invited to you know G7 meetings and they

are part of international organizations

because of their their resources their

wealth

and resources become key too because

countries can fashion their national uh

interest they can fashion their foreign

policy around their natural resources

and determine who they do business with

and who they don't do business with and

they can sanction others because they

have the ability and the capacity to do

so because they have the wealth to do so

and they are treated equally on the

global stage because they know they have

because countries know they have

economic capacity they have natural

resources we go back to Amazon for

example that's a huge natural resource

we go to the Mount Everest that's a huge

natural resource we go to uh you know

countries again in the Middle East that

have oil deposits that's a key natural

resource countries that have minerals

like Colton and have diamonds and and

gold and and

bauxites and all of those very very

precious materials they have natural

resources and they can fashion their

foreign policies around those resources

so natural resources become so critical

in the grand schema things when we talk

about foreign policy and every country

that has natural resources uh has the

potential to impact to have an impactful

foreign policy every country that has

natural resources that is really well

sought after in the global stage in the

global context

has the potential to have very powerful

natural resources now do all countries

take a materials the answer is no some

countries do the United States with

enormous Resources Canada with enormous

Resources Canada can sanction other

countries because they have the

resources because they're

self-sufficient right so let's put that

here right so capacity

is associated with this uh

self-sufficiency this is

self-sufficiency

is associated with this as well right

you have capacity you have

self-sufficiency that gives you ability

you have ability right Etc to do things

for yourself to do things for others as

well natural resources give you all of

these uh all these abilities

and a country can fashion is foreign

policy based on natural resources all

right so the fifth element or

determinant is economy and that ties in

with natural resources ties in with the

population as well and ties in with

geography as well right so the the

economy of a country is very very

important it's a very important factor

countries with very strong economy will

have a foreign policy that is very

impactful because countries respect uh

that country countries in the

International Community respect their

country because it has a very strong

economy and because because it has

strong economy it can impact countries

in the region it can sanction countries

around the world you can say we will not

deal with you economically and that will

mean something to those countries and

the confession they have foreign policy

around the strength of the economy so if

you look around the world countries the

G7 countries are very powerful at the

Assumption in other countries

uh they are sanctioned in Russia for

example begin to look at the dynamism of

of the economic strength of countries we

begin to understand how that impacts

foreign policy so students I will begin

to look at these determinants who begin

to get a sense as to how countries are

formulating their foreign policy why

some countries have more impact than the

others these are some of the factors

countries that have weak economy will

hardly have very impactful foreign

policy

these factors go hand in hand with

strength it will strengthen all of these

areas so countries with very good

economy with high

GDP

right uh and high manufacturing rates

are likely to have very powerful foreign

policy and they are likely to you know

build their foreign policy on the

economy and determine the countries

their business they do business with and

are able to give loans to countries and

they're able to determine which

countries they will not do business with

and they are able to go to International

stage and make pronouncements that have

weight

like people listen to her and say well

this country has spoken we better pay

attention

that's economy that's what economy does

students and begin to look at this

Factor as a very very special factor

that most countries into their foreign

policy on and they give example of

United States give example of countries

like France and Britain and Germany

these are very high performing countries

that have a very strong economy

and those economies then determine how

they interact with others

all right so we go to military capacity

right so military capacity is also very

important because here we are talking

about the capacity of a country to

impact other countries in a military

sense and that also determines the

foreign policy because then what that

means is they're able to assist other

countries they're able to play a role in

peacekeeping they are able to threaten

other countries to fall in line and they

use their military capacity as uh as a

strength they leverage the military

capacity right so this is also very

important when to look at foreign policy

determinations uh foreign policy

formations as well we begin to look at

military power the countries that have

military strength in United States

Russia Germany France the UK countries

with nuclear power they have capacity

they can threaten others they can impact

others as well this is what we mean by

military strength and military strength

determines your foreign policy because

others are afraid of you or doesn't pay

attention they know you have the

strength to act to impact them

negatively and they pay attention

and so a lot of countries use their

military strength and then the next one

is ideology the ideology that you have

impacts your foreign policy as well

right ideology is very critical in this

sense ideology or economic ideology

political ideology could be a society

and cultural ideology religious ideology

Etc impact your foreign policy and you

can base your foreign policy on that you

have a particular ideology and so for

example capitalism and all that impacts

your your foreign policy uh for example

communism socialism that impacts your

foreign policy as well if you have an

ideology of free market system that

impacts your policy socially if you have

an ideology of human rights that impacts

your foreign policy as well and finally

development and stability this is where

we look at infrastructure the

infrastructure you have that attracts

businesses as a country and

infrastructure attract businesses

because businesses come when they see

stability

they see growth they see opportunity for

growth and to make a make a profit they

come to your country they invest

directly in your country and you can

function as a country fashion your

foreign policy around your stability and

your infrastructure and the fact that

you have capacity

as a country so students begin to see

how all of this is playing out how these

ideologies become so critical how these

factors become so critical when we talk

about foreign policy formation the

determinants of foreign policy become so

critical that countries seek to have

these things in place they have

formulated their foreign policy from

positions of strength knowing fully well

that other countries will pay attention

and they will have an impact in the

global stage

so the the determinants of foreign

policy are geography

geography history population natural

resources economy military strength

capacity ideology your development your

stability your ability to impact others

and when they say that you're stable

people come when they say that your

stable tourists come when they say that

your stable companies come when they say

that you're a stable government approach

you to do business and that determines

in the way shapes your foreign policies

as well so these are the determinants of

foreign policy and a lot of countries

around the world look at these factors

and see how they can leverage these

factors to have more impact on the

global stage all right so the next

lecture we're going to be looking at how

foreign policy plays a role in

relationship with countries