DELOS REYES, Steve B.

BAIS 3-1

Creation of a Learning Pathway

(Guided but independent work on “The Politics of Space”)

The exercise is designed for the student to arrive at an intelligent synthesis of Symbolic
Interactionism. This guided activity leads to the creation of a learning pathway that is
distinctively unique for every learner.

Submission link:

Due Date: The activity will run until 6:00pm of October 21, 2022.

Late submission is strongly discouraged. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE OUR LECTURE NOTES.
Credits will be given for this activity.

1. What is Foreign Policy?

Foreign Policy is stated to be the pursuit of a state’s national

objectives in relation to its interaction with other states rationally. It follows
general objectives to develop a set of strategic behavior, influenced by
various factors such as internal and external situations (state and other
states’ considerations), in order for one state to present itself to
international politics. Domestic policy influences a state’s foreign policy
and upon where said considerations that turn into conditions are
constructed. Although they are different, domestic structures can make
international situations complex depending on the disparity of concepts
and politics between states. According to Henry A. Kissinger, “the domestic
structure is taken as given, foreign policy begins where domestic policy
ends”.

The complexity of foreign policy is imbued with changing and

evolving dynamics. Despite being concentrated on the state’s relationship
with other states, what determines foreign policy is the course of the
domestic affairs of the states. Foreign Policy is the projection of domestic
strengths, values, interests and even weaknesses towards national
development (Folarin, 2017).

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2. What are the Main Goals of Foreign Policy?

Foreign Policy has three Main Goals – these are Citizens, Allies, Threats and
Dangers.

1. Citizens - States, no matter their political structure and government,

prioritize the safety of their citizens. For those who are overseas, the
country of origin and the destination engages in bilateral talks to
make living and working conditions better for their citizens, besides
protecting and upholding their rights.
2. Allies - This is a formal agreement among states for mutual support
in order to maintain the status of peace. Traditionally, states join
forces to sustain the balance of power and prevent/end wars. This
has not changed but rather gained a wider scope of definition,
including advancing regional cooperation and development.
3. Threats and Dangers - Foreign Policy sustains the ability of states to
address common challenges across borders to protect national
interests and advance goals. In the era of a globalized world,
threats have also managed to step into international politics, which
is why ensuring foreign policy is promoted and formulated rationally.

3. What is Realism as a theory in Foreign Policy?

Realism has been the dominant school of thought in the study of

International Relations. It is generally a state-centric approach that
maintains a focus on the behavior of self-interested states pursuing their
national interests in the international sphere. Over the period of time, many
variations of it have emerged, prompting a more holistic approach that
has an intricate motive to diverge away from the classical school and its
theory.
Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations of 1948 stood to be the
foundational text of Classical Realism wherein he discussed his views of
human nature and how it mirrors states, formulating his perception of
politics from thereon. With this in hand, it is important to know that realism,
in its core, is an empirical theory rather than normative. Morgenthau
himself would prove then that realism is both critical and normative
through his analysis of the scholarly activity which rests upon the
understanding of both the sphere of action and sphere of thought.

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 Classical Realism values the role of historical accounts and how
those circumstances provided an outlook in Morgenthau's analysis of the
international system. Moreover, there is a great deal to note that it
embodies such a term for it acknowledges the importance of
philosophical texts in the study of politics.

The relevance of realism is due to the fact that it is able to

theoretically explain the reality that lies in the international sphere. It is able
to capture the whole of International Relations, the rise and decline of
states, wars, the shifting of alliances and many more phenomena in the
world of politics. Understanding world affairs and foreign policy is in the
fundamental teachings of Realism; the interaction of states is dynamic, it is
changing all the time and yet, Realism can still provide explanations on
the reality of it all. It is precisely because in the pursuit of national interest
that states start to lose some sense of reality at some point in history and
thus, their behaviors and justifications become self-defeating. Realism
persists because at its very core that explains the behavior of states holds
more truth in the contemporary world than ever.

4. What is Liberalism as a theory in Foreign Policy?

Liberalism is a staple in modern democracy which endorses the

essence of liberal democracy -– that of which is frequently used to refer to
states conducting both free and fair elections, upholding the rule of law,
and safeguarded civil rights and liberties. To elaborate what was
mentioned, it is morally based on the individual’s rights and ensuring that
there are proper institutions to realize these. In the context of International
Relations Theory, liberalism has advanced into a specific theory by its own
right.
Concepts such different ideas concerning how economic linkages,
institutions, institutions and behaviors restrain and reduce the violent power
of states are among the basic tenets of liberalism. It broadens the span of
variables scholars can examine especially when it’s people-centric, as well
as focused on the existence of international organizations and the role of
cooperation in preventing conflicts and maintaining peace.

Liberalism is one of the mainstream IR theories that persisted since

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 two world wars and branched off different strands over time. As such, it
has become an antithesis to the realist school of thought in IR theory by
offering an optimistic worldview. It imparts a consistent counter to realism,
firmly implanted in evidence and different ways to theoretically restrain the
abuse of power by states (Meister, 2018).

5. What is Constructivism as a theory in Foreign Policy?

Reconsidering a new approach that explains the explanatory side

of approaches which account for the individual’s role in historical events in
International Relations Theory that scholars did not find in the dominance
of realism and liberalism, constructivism was an emerging debate
associated with the ending of the Cold War. The world and what we can
know about it is socially constructed (Theys, 2017).

Constructivists, despite considering states as central actors, do not

consider them as rational actors and do not see them being reduced to
the material interests they have. Constructivism is concerned more on
shared ideas and how they affect one’s judgment, and because people
are constantly changing, so should their ideas. This is also where interest
comes to the equation – interest affects one's actions and going further,
identity builds interest because an actor does not know what they will
want unless one knows who they are. A world that is without identities is
indeed a world where chaos ensues, a world of irremediable and
pervasive uncertainty, a world that is much more dangerous than anarchy
(Hopf, 1998). Simply, identities are shaping states’ idea of their interests.
Without the existing interest, identity does not have motivational power;
and without identity, that interest has no direction (Wendt, 1992). It is
central to this theory because identity is a start for interest and people
base their actions on their interests.

According to Wendt, 'anarchy is what states make of it'.

Constructivists accept that the nature of the international system is
anarchic however they see its structure as socially constructed. As
mentioned earlier, people's constantly changing nature affects their ideas
and putting it in this context, constructivism rejects other theories' definition
of anarchy and maintains that the interpretation of it is up to actors and
what meaning they will give it. It is empirical that in the study of this, it

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 shows how state focused discussions can be limiting to explain the world as
it is and beyond what it is. But focusing on the actors, their identities,
interests, ideas and actions can offer new insights that help move IR
forward.

6. What is Marxism as a theory in Foreign Policy?

Marxism of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels always stood to study and
challenge the mainstream approaches in International Relations theory
which most built their foundations on the ruling capitalist system. The
proletariat, who are in the center of this theory, are presented by Marx
born from his questions regarding the industrial revolution that without no
doubt encouraged the exploitation of the workers.

A marxist theory derives its concepts on the understanding of the

emergence of capitalism and how materialism can explain the will of men
on acts of production and survival. Throughout the previous discussions,
I've been awfully aware of the stress put on explaining the behavior of
actors politically as determined by different factors emphasized by each
school of thought in International Relations. In turn, Marxism has always
been vocal about calling other theories problematic for 'conveniently
ignoring' necessary factors that affect the state as a whole. In this sense, a
marxist theory divulges more into a deeper realm; technological
innovation, sets of reproduction and labor. According to Inmanuel
Wallerstein, economic dependence on inequality is essential to capitalism
as based on his model to distinguish three regions that determine how
states have progressed over time.

On the other hand, Antonio Gramsci's concept of hegemony

explains capitalism in two ways. First, different people understand
capitalism differently, and therefore, any acts to resist it vary depending
on their understanding. Second, dependence varies on its fluidity and the
understanding of it, capitalism works because it is universalized and
accepted by actors deemed to take advantage of the system.
Gramscian perspective weighs in on the power of actors to consensualise
capitalism and the inequality it encourages through the spread of ideals
based on neoliberalism.

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 According to Maïa Pal, a marxist perspective tells that oppression
itself brings people together and naturally will want to get freed from it.
Thus, they view borders of countries as means of trying to separate people
from each other, specifically opportunities for resources and laborers. And
by extension, they accuse other theories of trying to obscure social
relations by justifying the separation of countries and its ties to capitalism.

Marxism is indeed complex as it offers an original perspective. But

people's misconceptions of it and their perceived ties of it to communism
brought a lot of negative connotations behind the theory. However, its
dialectic perspective and historical materialism opens the discussion on
dependence and the inequalities of capitalism. However, I for one do not
think that trying to uproot the realm where capitalism operates and largely
dominates in the world and attempting to break free from it will actually
end oppression. Resolving something that arguably predated even
capitalism considers more than merely looking at the form of hierarchy. It is
not to say it is inadequate but looking at the world today and seeing no
Marxist system since then up to now in any country, it is then indeed a
fleeting dream to call for a revolution that attempts to achieve an
impossible utopia.

REFERENCES:

Dunne, T. (1995). The social construction of international society. European Journal of

International Relations, 1(3), 367-389. Retrived from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tim-Dunne-2/publication/248015728_The_S
ocial_Construction_of_International_Society/links/5694a77308aeab58a9a2fa6b/T
he-Social-Construction-of-International-Society.pdf

Folarin, S. (2017). Student Feature - Foreign Policy. E-ir.

Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info/2017/12/20/student-feature-foreign-policy/

Hopf, T. (1998). The promise of constructivism in international relations theory.

International security, 23(1), 171-200.
Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/2539267

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Kissinger, H. A. (1966). Domestic Structure and Foreign Policy. Daedalus, 95(2), 503–529.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20026982

Meister, J.Q. (2018). Introducing Liberalism in International RElations Theory. E-ir.

Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info/pdf/72781

Pal, M. (2018). Introducing Marxism in International Relations Theory. E-ir.

Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info/pdf/72866

Theys, S. (2017). Constructivism. International relations theory.

Retrieved from
https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/243398/E34DFD4FD44E-4ACF-9BBC-
C73D632DA6BE.pdf

Wendt, A. (1992). Anarchy is what states make of it: the social construction of power
politics. International organization, 46(2), 391-425.
Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/download/32178832/Mapa_4.pdf

Wendt, A. (1999). Social theory of international politics (Vol. 67). Cambridge University
Press.
Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alexander-Wendt-6/publication/23906501
1_A_Social_Theory_of_International_Politics/links/558c0d6b08ae40781c203070/A-
Social-Theory-of-International-Politics.pdf

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