A Dynamic Framework for Analyzing Foreign Policy Decision Making

Abstract

Shortly after World War II, Richard Snyder, H.W. Bruck, and Burton Sapin (1962) proposed that foreign policy should be studied from a decision-making perspective, claiming that the behavior of states was the outcome of how decision makers perceive the international and domestic systems. Therefore, “objective” reality was irrelevant. Instead, what was important were decision-makers' subjective interpretations of their environment. However, it soon became apparent that focusing on the people making decisions in the name of the state required more than just analyzing their attitudes and perceptions. Alternative methods of reaching decisions were also observed, with each approach often rendering different choices even though based on identical beliefs and perceptions (George 1980). Hence, in order to complete the picture, the analysis of decision making requires an examination of the structure of the decision process. This section of the Forum is concerned with the structure of the decision process. An...