ABSTRACT
In the 1950s, the field of international politics (IP) split in two. The study of IP became a systemic view of foreign relations, whereas foreign policy analysis (FPA) began the process of “opening up the state” and examining its contents. These two divergent paths examined very different causal factors for global events. However, the overlap between these two fields was always undeniable. This entry begins by examining the split between IP and FPA, with a focus on the difference between the traditional theoretical perspectives of these two fields of study. It then turns to the primary goal of this entry, which is to show how we can bring these two fields back together. The method of unification is social constructivism and its emphasis on the coconstitutive relationship between agent and structure. If employed as a method of FPA, it may assist scholars in a more complete understanding of the decision-making process.
