Domestic Sources of Foreign Policy

1. TOPIC 4: DOMESTIC SOURCES OF FOREIGN
POLICY
JOU 103
(Updated on April 1, 2008)

2. FOREIGN POLICY [1]
 If you are a statesmen/foreign minister, how do you
consider the foreign policies of your country?
 Henry Kissinger: 2 set of influences
 Politics, power and actions of other states
 Domestic constraints (public opinion, bureaucracy and
governmental attitudes)
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3. FOREIGN POLICY [2]
Concepts:
1. Policy: as a program that serves
a guide of behavior in order to
realize the goals that an
organization has set for itself
2. Foreign policy: a guide of
actions taken beyond the
boundaries of the state to
further the goal of the state
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4. FOREIGN POLICY [3]
3. National interests and priorities
 Secure the state’s position in the global power
 Maximize the state’s power
 Different countries have different histories, cultures, and
socioeconomic and political structures  domestic society
shapes foreign policy preferences, objectives, and ultimate
strategies  different individuals, groups and classes have
different interests
 E.g., factory workers and manufacturers support war
because they can produce more weapons and earn more
profits; but women (especially for wives) do not support war
because male family members might die because of war
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5. FOREIGN POLICY [4]
FOREIGN POLICY
Capitalists
Manufacturers
(Military
industries, IT)
Military
Nationalists/
patriots
Bureaucracy
National statesmen
Religious/social
leaders
The publicAcademics/
think-tanks
Political parties
NGOs5
GREAT
POWERS

6. FACTORS SHAPING THE MAKING OF FOREIGN
POLICY (IN A DEMOCRATIC STATE)
1. Societal influences
 openness and accountability of the government
 Support from the mass opinions/social groups in taking
action
 The perception of general public towards its national style
 The role of power elite in shaping foreign policy
1. Public opinion
 Changeable and inconsistent
 Gender difference
1. National leader
 How does he/she respond to public opinions?
 Is he/she able to shape public opinion? How long?
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7. SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON FP [1]
1. The ability of specific social groups to communicate
their needs and demands to government
 Openness: the extent to which a government is subject to
influences from society
 Accountability to the public: the government must satisfy
the people of its society; opposition groups can influence the
government through formal channels (e.g., elections,
legislature); and can present their positions to the public
through a free press/media/campaigns
 E.g.,
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Held the referendum
in the presidential
election

8. SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON FP [2]
2. Political leaders need to seek societal support/the approval
of public opinion in order to gain control of government,
remain in office, and then implement their policies. So they
must hear and respond to the demands and needs of
society. E.g.,
 Fixing high tariffs for protecting certain industries, establishing
hard-line policies toward unpopular rulers
 The government needs the public support while taking action
 It tries to shape and control societal needs and demands
 If the people are unwilling to act militarily, the government has
no choice and has to give up the military intervention finally (e.g.,
The America’s military intervention and withdrawal in Iraq)
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9. U.S. SENATE BACKS TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ
BY RICHARD COWAN
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Tuesday endorsed a
March 31, 2008, target date for withdrawing American
combat troops from Iraq, prompting the White House to
threaten a veto and moving Congress a step closer to a
showdown with President George W. Bush over the war.
By a vote of 50-48, the Senate defeated an amendment that
would have stricken the withdrawal language from a $121.6
billion bill that mostly would fund the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
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10. SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON FP [3]
3. The common experiences and selective
memories of citizens provides the basic
structure of belief of which they view
their place in the world
 In some cases, dominant individuals,
groups, and classes use their power to
influence a belief system that will reinforce
their power (e.g., capitalists, manufacturers
and the military advocate war in order to
fulfill their own interests)
 Strategic culture: National styles in the
conduct of foreign policy (e.g., the foreign
policy of the PRC: peaceful rise  peaceful
development) 10

11. CHINA’S PEACEFUL RISE
Origins
 The term itself was first used in a speech given by the former
Vice Principal of the
Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party,
Zheng Bijian, in late 2003 during the Boao Forum for Asia. It
was then reiterated by PRC premier Wen Jiabao in an ASEAN
meeting as well as during his visit to the United States. On
some occasions, the term China's peaceful development
(Zhōngguó hépíng fāzh n) is used instead.ǎ
 In Zheng's speech he pointed out that in the past, a rise of a
new power often resulted in drastic changes to global
political structures, and even. Zheng stated that in today's
new world, the PRC should instead develop peacefully, and
in turn help to maintain a peaceful international
environment.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
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12. FEATURES (OFFICIAL VIEWS)
1. economic construction: China will not see political
confrontation as its target, nor develop its economy through
expansion or isolationism.
2. participate in economic globalization and compete with others
in the world market to realize a win-win result.
3. persist in independent development: depend mainly on its
own institutional innovation, structural adjustment, expansion
of domestic demand and utilization of private capital at home.
China will take advantage of world resources, but will not
bring trouble to the world.
4. deepen reform and seek coordinated development in all areas.
5. play its due role as a big country in the international arena, but
it has no intention to seek domination in dealing with
international affairs.
(Source: http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/Apr/93730.htm,
surfed on April 1, 2008)
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13. SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON FP [4]
4. Who exactly affects the FP?
 Radical view: power elite, including
government, business and the military
 Pluralist view: plurality of elite groupings.
Different elites tend to wide influence over
different issues (e.g., education, defense,
health). Also, views are diversified,
fluctuated and unpredictable rather than
consensual and predictable
 E.g., the changing attitudes of the Americans
towards the Iraq question (from active
intervention after September 11 tragedy in
2001 to disagreement in the past 2 years) 13

14. ELITE OPINION (FEATURES)
 opinion leaders: party politicians, business and labor
union executives, senior civil servants, leaders of the
mass media, leaders of economic, ethnic, religious,
professional or other interest groups
 Attentive public: highly educated, professional, upper-
income
 Higher social and economic status: tend to support
official policy much more stronger/conservative
 Knowledgeable about foreign affairs
 Write, speak in public with extended audience
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15. MASS PUBLIC OPINION
 Public views are fluctuated and unpredictable
because of the changing circumstances
 Gender gap: men and women are different on the
same issue (e.g., in terms of the outcome of the Gulf
War, support for military action for September 11
terrorist attacks, women preferred not to take
military actions)
 Essential view: Aggression and violence are masculine
characteristics VS forgiving and peace-loving for women
 Liberal feminism: if women enjoyed the same
socioeconomic opportunities than men, then gender gap
would vanish (e.g., Margaret Thatcher [Britain], Indira
Gandhi [India], ) Condoleezza Condi Rice [U.S.]) 15

16. NATIONAL LEADER [1]
 Personality, character, experience and leadership style
matter in determining what choices a leader makes
 E.g., George W. Bush VS Jiang Jiemin
 The influence of advisers and subordinates: provide
information, help make decision and are responsible for
implementation
 2 different views on how a national leader deal with
mass opinions:
 Safely take: follow the general view of the public
 The leader has great potential support among the public for
any kind of foreign policy initiative
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17. NATIONAL LEADER [2]
 But it is certain that the ability of a leader to shape
public opinion and thus to gain support in a crisis usually
holds for the short term only in case of the absence of
the favorable news
 E.g., George W. Bush felt embarrassed and was under
criticism due to the absence of the terrorist activities in
Iraq. His military action led to his unpopularity despite the
popular support at the beginning.
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18. CONCLUSION
 Who governs (influences)?
 Not the mass or its leaders but both together
 “The national leader makes use of the elite and the public,
the elite and the public make use of the national leader, or
both”?
 The making and implementation of foreign policies can
be a dynamic, interactive and bargaining process
between state and society
 Should note the influence of domestic and external
circumstances in understanding the changing public
opinions, especially in democratic nations
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