The tools of Foreign Policy

Policy is being viewed as an explicit plan of action adapted to serve specific purposes. Policy as design is directed towards the accomplishment of objectives, thereby generating expectation that those objectives will be achieved. In the context of international relations, policy can also be known as foreign policy (FP) which is accomplished by policymakers through the decision making. FP refers to the external relations of states or simply diplomacy. FP dictates how a country will act with respect to other countries politically, socially, economically and militarily, and to a somewhat minor extent and how it behaves towards non-states actors. Generally, FP was acting based on the tools or way which is taken by another country in the process to guide other country’s action in the international arena. The tools of foreign policy that almost been used in context of international relations is sanctions, diplomacy, and propaganda (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).

The first tool of foreign policy is sanction. The sanctions policy usually used by one party to prohibit an action and coercive other country to change their behavior of foreign policy for any purpose without using weapon and military force. Basically, the most powerful state will be the one who apply sanctions on other state which is weaker than them. Arm embargoes are one of the sanctions that always used by the United States (US) or United Nation (UN) to influence that target country’s foreign policy for the purpose of gaining benefits. For example, the U.S. has used arms embargoes often for disadvantages potential adversaries such as Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. Yet, unilateral arms embargoes often have a little material effect. For instance, North Korea has been able t...

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...leader. The reason is to change the North Korea mindset and internal world. Apart from that, South Korea can use the information, education, culture, and value to shake the North Korea ideology to decrease their loyalty to Kim dynasty.

As a conclusion, there are three tools of foreign policy, which is sanctions, diplomacy, and propaganda.

Works Cited

Brahm, E. (2006). Propaganda. Retrieved from http://www.beyonintractability.org

Carter, B., E. (1988). International economic sanction: Improving the haphazard U.S. legal regime. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Chomsky, N. (1984). Propaganda. Quebec, Canada: Boulevard St. Laurent.

Smith, M., S. (2004). Sanctions: Diplomatic tool, or warfare by other means?. Retrieved from http://www.beyonintractability.org

Sparknote. (2012). U.S. government and politics study guide. Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com