ABSTRACT
The concept of foreign policy describes the involvement of a state abroad. The psychological–perceptual points of departure discount the relevance of the bureaucratic–organizational school, particularly as it relates to foreign policy-making. Parliaments and other foreign policy actors have, in the process, become inert or mere rubber stamps since independence. Legislative bodies, governmental bureaucracies, political parties, the church, civil society in general, and interest groups, among others, have been and are increasingly directly involved in the domain of African States’ foreign policy-making processes. Specifically, the foreign policy-making process is centred upon how policy is made by the employment of foreign policy instruments and institutions at the disposal of the nation-state. The concept of foreign policy describes the involvement of a state abroad. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
