The Yegiora Files

The 6 geographical factors derived from various definitions of the term 'geopolitics' is the suggested framework be used to analyze or understand different geopolitical issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The geographical factors are: Natural resources - impact of the competition for natural resources on the political behaviour of state and non-state actors. Geographical location - impact the geographical location of a state actor has on the political behaviour of another state or non-state actor. Size - impact of a state actor on the political behaviour of another state or non-state actor in regards to its physical land area. Size of a non-state actor and its impact on the political behaviour of a state and other non-state actors. Topography - impact of either man-made and natural surface features of land on the political behaviour of state and non-state actors. Demography - impact of the characteristics of human population on the political behaviour of state and non-stat...

The foreign policy process is very complex. Analysts untangle the intricacies by studying foreign policy making from three perspectives termed levels of analysis. Thus, it is of uttermost importance as students of social science to learn about the three perspectives in order to add it to your repertoire of knowledge and use it practically when the need arises. Individual level of analysis can be approached from three different perspectives. One is to examine fundamental human nature. The second is to study how people act in organizations. The third is to examine the motivations and actions of specific persons. The human nature approach examines basic human characteristics, including the cognitive, psychological, emotional, and biological factors that influence decision making. The organizational behaviour approach studies such factors as role (how people act in their professional position) and group decision-making behaviour, including group think. The idiosyncratic b...

Hudson (2007) talked about the 6 hallmarks of foreign policy analysis. One particular hallmark that is closely connected to our topic for this week is multilevel. She said factors that influence decision making and decision makers are clustered in 3 different levels; individual, state and system level of analysis. Foreign policy analysis is a complex and broad sub-field. The levels of analysis provides a simple or organized framework to help us understand competing explanations and theories.   Goldstein (2005) said; “The individual level of analysis concerns the perceptions, choices, and actions of individual human beings. Great leaders influence the course of history, as do individual citizens, thinkers, soldiers, and voters. Without Lenin, it is said, there might well have been no Soviet Union. If a few more college students had voted for Nixon rather than Kennedy in the razor-close 1960 elections, the Cuban Missile Crisis might have ended differently.”  He...

Geographical location of a particular state is a geographical or geopolitical factor. This factor affects the political behaviour of a particular state or non-state actor in international as well as domestic politics. Morgenthau states that the continental territory of the United States is separated from other continents by bodies of water three thousand miles wide to the east, and more than six thousand miles to the west. This is a permanent fact that determines the position of the United States.   PNG is situated north of Australia and shares a land border with the Indonesian province of Papua. This is also a permanent fact that determines the position of PNG. The geographical position of PNG influenced Japanese war strategy and foreign policy. If the Japanese were able to overcome the Allied forces at Kokoda, they would have easily positioned themselves in Port Moresby and attack Australia. The geographical proximity of Port Moresby to Australia will help Ja...

Mintz and DeRouen (2010) outline well the different types of decisions.  Heuristic decisions are made while employing cognitive shortcuts or heuristics devices. Heuristics devices are:  "a range of psychological strategies that allow individuals to simplify complex decisions. Such devices include evaluating people and events in terms of how well they coincide with your belief system, stereotypes, or analogies." The Munich analogy is a case in point. Many foreign policy decision makers use this analogy to influence the type of decisions they make. In other words, it is a valuable lesson in history that makes a good reference point for decision makers. The Munich Pact was signed on September 30, 1938, by the Prime Ministers of Britain, France and the leader of the Nazi Party. The aim of the pact was to appease Germany by giving them Czechoslovakia. Both leaders thought that by giving Germans what they wanted, the Germans would be contented and not continue th...