Incorporating Social Psychological Toolkit in Foreign Policy Analysis

Abstract

Foreign Policy Analysis emerged as a field committed to inculcating pre-existing social scientific theories and testing tools available to refine foreign policy decision-making. The emphasis of pioneers of the field has been on the process rather than its outcome. This paper uses the critical theory of Robert Cox to review foreign policy decision-making from the perspective of social psychology. Using the same lens, it further elaborates on how these principles of social psychology can serve as a toolkit for both foreign policymakers and foreign policy analysts in terms of improving and analyzing foreign policy decision making respectively. Lastly, it also highlights how the exclusion of researchers from the foreign policy decision-making process has served as a key hindrance in the development of any law like generalization or a scientific theory and how making foreign policy analysts a permanent feature of foreign policy decision making can change the discipline for good.