Foreign policy could be defined as a well documented
programme of action with institutionally designated officials who seek to
manipulate the international environment in order to achieve certain
objectives. The major goal of foreign
policy framers is to agglomerate their country’s policy thus linking them to
those of other states within the international system. Foreign policy
formulation and execution is a very complex business seen as a bundle of
official papers or merely a series of pronunciations by high officials. It is a
states way of going about dealing with its external environments.
The
formulation of foreign policy, if done correctly must be seen as the forming of
out intentions as distinguished from our ends, regarding world external to our
national jurisdiction (area of control).
This means that the control of the international society must determine
the success of our ends. The international actors especially the foreign
affairs minister will have to reply immediately to the happenings in the
international society. He must also be warned that any verbalization must be supported
with actions. In foreign policy certain policies are usually banked for the
possible future. The reason is that foreign policy comprises a lot of
unpredictions. For the benefit of doubt, we could borrow fisher’s terminology
which says that there is the play of the contingent and unpredictable
references. This implies that there is
the possibility of situations to erupt although not expected but the state
concentrate their best strategy to stop.
Foreign policy needs sound and widely acceptable
general principles. Really, principle seems to acquire more importance than the
dynamics in the international environment. The frequency and constant resort to
principles in the guidance of foreign relations suggest that they perform
important functions in foreign policy formulation and execution. By design,
each state formulates foreign policy that reflects the states national interest
mission to increase its values. Common to the analysis of foreign policy is the
assumption that foreign policy is the preserve of governments but it not really
correct. In contemporary international system, many international organizations
manifest either to promote business or cultural values. These organizations articulate politics which
are intended to influence the international system. Organizations therefore
powerful because it is the attribute of a sovereignty which a state confers to
it. In other words no organization can pursue foreign policy goals without the
express permission of both the domestic and the host governments. Government
therefore are important agents of policy implementation in the international
system. Among the multi-national organizations that is common in Africa are oil
companies, Unilever, Julius Berger, Dumez, Strabag , G.B. Olivant, Levities Technical etc. Foreign policy must rest upon ‘apriori’ ideas
of the aims and objectives. These goals are compounded into what is referred to
as ‘national interest”, a clear concept. National interest in the sum total of
values which a nation stand, pursues and projects its objective in its
interactions with other nations in the international scenario for the well
being of the state (country). With its help,
the people can measure the quality of policies, while leaders use it as a base to mobilize its
people use consist of national preservation, the independence of the state and sovereignty,
economic well –being etc.
Now, having understood what international relations
means with its conceptual clarifications, let’s highlight the approaches
briefly. The approaches to international
relations include. The historical approach, the philosophical approach, the
institutional approach, the legal approach, the system frame work approach, the
decision –making approach, the games approach and the political economy approach.
One main challenge confronting students of political
science and the sub-field of international relations in writing their essays is
that of methodology. An appropriate use of methodology apart from confirming
the science of the discipline put the scholar above other free –thinkers in the
analysis of international events. According to A.O Ikelegbe in ten approaches
of international relations in his book titled “politics and government”. An
introductory and comparative perspective (1995 pg 134-142), stated that the
role of approaches /methodology is to position a particular event within
different paradigm(s) which will make it clearer. These approaches ranges from the historical
to the recent well acclaimed political economy of the radical school. While a particular
approach may be more relevant in a particular study, it is important to point
out that the approaches are complimentary because they benefit each other.
There is no analysis of a particular international event that is devoid of
history, the question of morality, the factor of legality and system balance.
Notwithstanding, while most states actions may be premised on power expansion,
they may also be politico-economic implications not only on the particular
state but the international system at large.