Painful choices : a theory of foreign policy change / David A. Welch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Welch, David A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations.

International relations--Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (289 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Under what conditions should we expect states to do things radically differently all of a sudden? In this book, David Welch seeks to answer this question, constructing a theory of foreign policy change inspired by organization theory, cognitive and motivational psychology, and prospect theory. He then "test drives" the theory in a series of comparative case studies in the security and trade domains: Argentina's decision to go to war over the Falklands/Malvinas vs. Japan's endless patience with diplomacy in its conflict with Russia over the Northern Territories; America's decision to commit large-scale military force to Vietnam vs. its ultimate decision to withdraw; and Canada's two abortive flirtations with free trade with the United States in 1911 and 1948 vs. its embrace of free trade in the late 1980's. Painful Choices has three main objectives: to determine whether the general theory project in the field of international relations can be redeemed, given disappointment with previous attempts; to reflect on what this reveals about the possibilities and limits of general theory; and to inform policy. Welch argues that earlier efforts at general theory erred by aiming to explain state behavior, which is an intractable problem. Instead, since inertia is the default expectation in international politics, all we need do is to explain changes in behavior. Painful Choices shows that this is a tractable problem with clear implications for intelligence analysts and negotiators.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Figures and Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction

CHAPTER 1. Surprise, Anticipation, and Theory

CHAPTER 2. A Theory of Foreign Policy Change

CHAPTER 3. Useless Islands Disputes

CHAPTER 4. American Boys in an Asian War

CHAPTER 5. Free Trade with the United States: Two Funerals and a Wedding

CHAPTER 6. Conclusion

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613133427

9781283133425

1283133423

9781400840748

1400840740

OCLC:

730151751