A country’s foreign policy process is also a decision-making process. Foreign policy is a rational, multifaceted, and balanced area that needs to be thought and executed. States operate within the framework of the de...A country’s foreign policy process is also a decision-making process. Foreign policy is a rational, multifaceted, and balanced area that needs to be thought and executed. States operate within the framework of the decisions of governments. The decision-making process can change its direction with reflections and influences from national, regional, and international politics. While some theories think that governments/decision-makers are rational actors, there are other theories. Decision-makers/governments are able to make decisions in accordance with national interests. Who or which institution will determine what a country’s national interest is and whether its foreign policy is in the national interest. Claiming that a foreign policy carried out by political will is in line with national interest and gives it a certain degree of legitimacy and authority. The main problem here is the identification of national interest with the discourse/policies of those officially responsible for the conduct of foreign policy. National interest can best be determined if it has become a verifiable expression of the priorities of a nation. Heads of state trust their advisors in their immediate surroundings when making foreign policy decisions, so it is important to recognize the composition of the immediate environment. In authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, such as Iran, ideology and leader are vital in foreign policy. The Iranian geopolitics, the ideological structure of the political regime, and the constitutional structure, which is constitutionally effective and superior, should be analyzed in order to examine Iran’s foreign policy. This comprehensive assay will naturally exceed the purpose and scope of this study.展开更多
文摘A country’s foreign policy process is also a decision-making process. Foreign policy is a rational, multifaceted, and balanced area that needs to be thought and executed. States operate within the framework of the decisions of governments. The decision-making process can change its direction with reflections and influences from national, regional, and international politics. While some theories think that governments/decision-makers are rational actors, there are other theories. Decision-makers/governments are able to make decisions in accordance with national interests. Who or which institution will determine what a country’s national interest is and whether its foreign policy is in the national interest. Claiming that a foreign policy carried out by political will is in line with national interest and gives it a certain degree of legitimacy and authority. The main problem here is the identification of national interest with the discourse/policies of those officially responsible for the conduct of foreign policy. National interest can best be determined if it has become a verifiable expression of the priorities of a nation. Heads of state trust their advisors in their immediate surroundings when making foreign policy decisions, so it is important to recognize the composition of the immediate environment. In authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, such as Iran, ideology and leader are vital in foreign policy. The Iranian geopolitics, the ideological structure of the political regime, and the constitutional structure, which is constitutionally effective and superior, should be analyzed in order to examine Iran’s foreign policy. This comprehensive assay will naturally exceed the purpose and scope of this study.