Individual Level Analysis in Foreign Policy and Teaching

-

Foreign policy analysis encompasses various hallmarks, as discussed by Hudson. One crucial hallmark, relevant to our current topic, is the multilevel approach. Hudson explains that decision-making factors in foreign policy are clustered into three levels: individual, state, and system analysis.

At the individual level, Goldstein emphasizes the impact of influential leaders and individuals on shaping historical events and foreign policy outcomes. He argues that every international event is a result of decisions made by individuals, making the individual level of analysis agent-oriented and actor-specific.

Breuning builds upon this concept, focusing on leaders and decision-makers in foreign policy analysis. She highlights the significance of studying their personalities, beliefs, and values as factors influencing foreign policy decisions. Understanding these enduring qualities enhances our comprehension of what motivates decision-makers.

Minister Pato's statement in the National Refugee Policy (2015) reflects the Melanesian belief in providing assistance based on common humanity. This belief influenced the decision to assist Australia and welcome refugees, demonstrating the connection between individual beliefs and foreign policy choices.

Furthermore, the perception of leaders, such as Minister Pato, played a crucial role in shaping foreign policy decisions. Pato believed that housing refugees would benefit Papua New Guinea in the long run, as refugees often possess skills and experiences needed by the country. International studies have shown that refugees can contribute positively to their new homes, creating jobs and additional revenue.

Considering public perception, interviews conducted by EMTV shed light on how the national refugee policy was viewed by individuals in the community.

Expanding beyond foreign policy, the individual level of analysis is also relevant to teaching and learning strategies. The lecturer highlights how personal traits, beliefs, values, and perception shape the approach to teaching. These factors influence the development and implementation of different strategies, such as assessment tasks and the utilization of technology.

The absence of prominent Papua New Guinean academics in the field of foreign policy or international relations is mentioned as a factor influencing perspectives and mentorship. The lecturer emphasizes the importance of individual efforts in accessing knowledge through various resources, such as the internet and online databases.

The lecturer's own experiences and limited access to technology during their undergraduate years shaped their current teaching and learning approach. They draw parallels between teaching and learning strategies and foreign policy, emphasizing how the personality and perception of decision-makers influence both.

In conclusion, the individual level of analysis holds great significance in understanding foreign policy and international relations. It is essential to consider why PNG agreed to assist Australia in resettling refugees, why Peter O'Neill extended assistance to Kevin Rudd, and why Minister Pato commended the national refugee policy. These questions highlight the importance of understanding the individual level of analysis in comprehending foreign policy decisions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FPA: Organizational Process Model

-
This model centers on the fact that different bureaucracies have different standard operating procedures. These procedures are made in order to allow day to day operations to be carried out. Thus, a foreign policy decision is made based on these standard operating procedures. It is hard for a bureaucracy to make a decision or let alone function out of character or contrary to their standard operating procedure. The reading Chapter 4: Foreign policy shares a straight forward explanation of the OPM: "An alternative to the rational model of decision making is the organizational process model. In this model, foreign policy decision makers generally skip the labor-intensive process of identifying goals and alternative actions, relying instead for most decisions on standardized responses or standard operating procedures. For example, the U.S. State Department everyday receives more than a thousand reports or inquiries from its embassies around the world and sends out more than a ...
Read more

Commercial liberalism and the six norms

-
Image
Liberal internationalism is defined by Griffiths, O'Callaghan and Roach (2008, p.190) as a project to transform international relations so that they conform to models of peace, freedom, and prosperity allegedly enjoyed within constitutional liberal democracies. The same scholars go further by dividing liberalism into three distinct groups. They say these are the three ways to implement the project. The way they present liberal internationalism as a project makes their work interesting. Three distinct groups Firstly, commercial liberalism is about free trade between states. States bilaterally or multilaterally via a platform like APEC pursue the goal of trade liberalization. Griffiths, O'Callagahan and Roach (ibid.) argued that economic interdependence would decrease the likelihood of going to war. Republican liberalism is about democratic peace. The scholars argued that the spread of democracy among states so that governments will be accountable to their citizens makes it di...
Read more

Allison's rational actor model

-
There are 3 common models of foreign policy decision making according to Graham Allison: rational actor model organizational process mode government politics model.  We will discuss the 3 models and compare them with the 3 levels of analysis. However, I challenge you to use your own initiative to learn about the other models of decision making. This will help you as future decision makers or analysts to understand how decisions are made and the processes. When one wakes up from bed he or she decides whether or not to brush their teeth, comb their hair and have a shower. These decisions are paramount, they affect and influence how the individual interacts in a social setting. This highlights the fact that as human beings we make decisions every day. Decision making is defined as the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In the case of the ‘Kibung peles boy’ analogy; the male student had a choice of approaching the girl to ask he...
Read more