foreign-policy analysis

Foreign policy analysis is a subfield of political science that examines the objectives guiding a state's interactions with other nations. It considers influences from domestic factors, the actions of other states, and specific geopolitical goals.1

This analysis can be approached from two main perspectives: foreign-policy analysis, which focuses on individual states and their internal characteristics, and international-system analysis, which looks at the interactions between states and the overall structure of the international system. The foreign-policy perspective includes studying how a state's decision-making processes, public opinion, and societal backgrounds shape its external conduct. Comparative foreign-policy analysis seeks to generalize about these domestic sources of external behavior across different countries. Diplomacy is the primary tool used in executing foreign policy, with war, alliances, and trade being potential outcomes or manifestations of these diplomatic efforts.21