ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 looked at different approaches to examining foreign policy decision making. These approaches directly challenge the realist assumption that foreign policy is a rational process, producing outcomes that correspond neatly to the initial preference-orderings of states. Another core assumption of realism that the state is a rational, unitary actor was challenged in the early 1960s. A growing literature has examined how state bureaucracies impact on foreign policy, highlighting the fragmented and often institutionally driven nature of foreign policy making and implementation. Chapter 3 examines this literature with the aim of exploring its implications for the making and implementation of foreign policy. In our view, other works on FPA, similar to our own, which try to account for and advance the field of FPA, have not captured this debate in its entirety. 1 They focus mainly on Allison’s work and the initial critiques it generated while overlooking more recent refinements and proposals for new directions for work on bureaucracies and foreign policy. Thus, we think an up-to-date account is useful to enable development of the interest in FPA of the connection between bureaucracies and foreign policy.
