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Foreign policy
 
 
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A country
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
's foreign policy, also called the international relations policy, is a set of goals outlining how the country
Country

Country may refer to the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region. In another meaning of the word, the country is also a term used to refer to rural areas....
 will interact with other countries economically, politically, socially and militarily, and to a lesser extent, how the country will interact with non-state actors. The aforementioned interaction is evaluated and monitored in attempts to maximize benefits of multilateral international cooperation. Foreign policies are designed to help protect a country's national interest
National interest

The national interest, often referred to by the French language term raison d'?tat, is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural....
s, national security
National security

The late political scientist Hans Morgenthau, author of Politics Among Nations, defines national security as the integrity of the national territory and its institutions....
, ideological goals
Ideology

An ideology is a set of aims and ideas, especially in politics. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society....
, and economic prosperity
Prosperity

Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, success, or good forture. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes others factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health....
.






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A country
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
's foreign policy, also called the international relations policy, is a set of goals outlining how the country
Country

Country may refer to the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region. In another meaning of the word, the country is also a term used to refer to rural areas....
 will interact with other countries economically, politically, socially and militarily, and to a lesser extent, how the country will interact with non-state actors. The aforementioned interaction is evaluated and monitored in attempts to maximize benefits of multilateral international cooperation. Foreign policies are designed to help protect a country's national interest
National interest

The national interest, often referred to by the French language term raison d'?tat, is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural....
s, national security
National security

The late political scientist Hans Morgenthau, author of Politics Among Nations, defines national security as the integrity of the national territory and its institutions....
, ideological goals
Ideology

An ideology is a set of aims and ideas, especially in politics. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society....
, and economic prosperity
Prosperity

Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, success, or good forture. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes others factors which are independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health....
. This can occur as a result of peaceful cooperation with other nations, or through exploitation.

Usually, creating foreign policy is the job of the head of government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
 and the foreign minister
Foreign minister

A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet Political minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation....
 (or equivalent). In some countries the legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
 also has considerable oversight. As an exception, in France
Government of France

The government of France is a semi-presidential system determined by the Constitution of France of the fifth French Republic, in which the nation declares itself to be "an indivisible, la?cit?, Democracy, and social Republic"....
 and Finland
Government of Finland

Finland is a republic with a representative democracy governed according to the principles of parliamentarism. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Finland....
, it is the head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 who is responsible for foreign policy, while the head of government mainly deals with internal policy. In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, the head of state (the President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
) also functions as the head of government
Head of government

The head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet . In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled Prime Minister, President of the Government, Premier, etc....
.

International relations theory


The sub-discipline that specializes in the study of foreign relations is known as foreign policy analysis
Foreign policy analysis

Foreign policy analysis is the systematic study of and research into the processes and theories of foreign policy.Foreign policy analysis is that branch of political science,which deals with the study of and research into the processes and theories of foreign policy....
 (FPA). FPA contributes to overall communication between nations.

See also

  • Foreign affairs
    Foreign Affairs

    Foreign Affairs is an United States journal on international relations published by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually. The CFR is a private-sector group established in New York City in 1921, with the mission of promoting understanding of foreign policy and America?s role in the world....
  • Foreign minister
    Foreign minister

    A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet Political minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation....
  • Ambassador
    Ambassador

    An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a Sovereignty or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
  • International relations
    International relations

    International relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, international organization , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations ....
  • Policy
    Policy

    A policy is typically described as a deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. However, the term may also be used to denote what is actually done, even though it is unplanned....
  • Foreign policy doctrine
    Foreign policy doctrine

    A foreign policy doctrine is a general statement of foreign policy and belief system through a doctrine. In some cases, the statement is made by a political leader, typically a nation?s chief executive or chief diplomat, and comes to be named after that leader....
  • Diversionary Foreign Policy
    Diversionary Foreign Policy

    A diversionary foreign policy, or a diversionary war, is an International Relations term that identifies a war instigated by a country's leader in order to distract its population from their own domestic strife....

Individual leaders

  • Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration
    Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration

    The Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration is the foreign policy of the United States from January 20, 2009 onward under the Obama Administration of President of the United States Barack Obama....
  • Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration
    Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration

    File:Romanian children greet Bushes 2002.jpgDuring his campaign for election as President of the United States, George W. Bush's foreign policy platform included support for a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction of involvement in "nation building" and other small-scale military engage...
  • Foreign policy of Hugo Chávez
    Foreign policy of Hugo Chávez

    |||}The foreign policy of the Hugo Ch?vez government concerns the policy initiatives made by Venezuela towards other states under its current President of Venezuela, Hugo Ch?vez....
  • Foreign policy of the Clinton Administration
    Foreign policy of the Clinton Administration

    The Foreign policy of the Clinton Administration was the foreign policy of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under the Clinton Administration of President of the United States Bill Clinton....
  • Foreign policy of the Reagan administration
    Foreign policy of the Reagan administration

    The Foreign policy of the Reagan Administration was the foreign policy of the United States from 1981 to 1989. It was characterized by a strategy of "peace through strength" followed by a warming of relations with the Soviet Union, and by a peaceful end to the Cold War when the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power....
  • Foreign policy of the Harper government
    Foreign policy of the Harper government

    The Conservative Party of Canada Government of Canada led by Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper has been involved in several ways overseas, particularly due to its role alongside the United States in the War on Terror originated from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks attacks in the U.S....
  • Foreign policy of François Mitterrand
    Foreign policy of François Mitterrand

    Fran?ois Mitterrand's foreign policy emphasized European unity and the preservation of France's special relationships with its French colonial empire in the face of "Anglosphere influence." He served as President of France for two 7-years terms, from 1981 to 1995....


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