ABSTRACT
Accordingly, the president or PM calls in his secretary of state or foreign minister, maybe the secretary of defense or the defense minister, and possibly key advisors. In effect, forming foreign policy or, similarly, changing one significantly is as a rule the result of a very long and complicated process. Arguably the ultimate boxed-in foreign policy is the meta-position adhered to since 1648, that one nation should not interfere in the internal affairs of another nation by the use of force. The State Department is often more committed to seeking resolutions via diplomatic means and to providing foreign aid. The Commerce Department favors selling most anything overseas; the CIA often raises concerns about the effects of selling drones, shoulder-fired missiles, advanced computers, and much more to foreigners. A striking example of a boxed-in foreign policy is the century-old drive of the West to bring human rights and democracy to other nations, by the use of force if necessary.
