The Eight Key Determinants of Foreign Policy | International Relations | The Alalibo Lectures
Summary
TLDRThis 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
- π Foreign policy is a set of decisions and actions by a government to protect its citizens' well-being and represent national interests internationally.
- πΊ Geography is a critical determinant of foreign policy, influencing a country's strategic location and interactions with neighbors and the global community.
- π 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.
- π« Population size significantly impacts foreign policy, influencing a country's economic power, military strength, and attractiveness to foreign investment.
- π° 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.
- π 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.
- π« 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.
- π Ideology, whether economic, political, social, or religious, can significantly shape a country's foreign policy and its approach to international relations.
- π 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.
- π 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
π 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.
πΊοΈ 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.
π« 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.
πΌ 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.
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Foreign Policy
π‘Determinants
π‘Geography
π‘History
π‘Population
π‘Natural Resources
π‘Economy
π‘Military Capacity
π‘Ideology
π‘Development and Stability
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
Browse More Related Video
Whitney Webb: The Collapse Has Begun! You Must Prepare for What's Coming in 2024
Understanding Population Dynamics [AP Human Geography Review Unit 2 Topic 4]
Why Some Countries Are Poor and Others Rich
Understanding the self: Module 1
Mata Kuliah Teori Ekonomi Makro || BAB 3 Produksi dan Pertumbuhan
Complete Modern History Through Animation | Lec 13 - British India Foreign Relations | UPSC CSE |GS1
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)