ABSTRACT
This chapter lays out the analytical framework of the book. Delving into the elusive nature of norms, the chapter argues that various interpretations of a norm necessarily emerge because the political groups interpret the norm to suit their interests. The various interpretations cause controversies, affecting a state’s foreign policy-making process. As the collective ideas held by political parties operate as intervening variables, the analysis of a state’s policy needs to take these variables into account. The chapter also contends that international norms affect a state’s policy through the process of interactions between them and domestic norms. While localisation of an international norm may occur, a struggle between domestic and international norms may continue until either norm replaces the other or both reach equilibrium.
