What is Foreign Policy and Why Is It

Important?
Posted on March 29, 2022 by Haroun Alfarsi, PROFOCUS
https:// www.profolus.com/topics/what-is-foreign-policy-
and-why-is-it-important/
The foreign policy of a particular country is as important as its
domestic policy. It is both a strategy and guideline for dealing
with other countries or states, supranational organizations, other
political actors and political entities, and even non-state actors.
Furthermore, its general purpose revolves around promoting
national interest, influencing other international actors, and
shaping geopolitics and international relations.
UNDERSTANDING THE DEFINITION OF FOREIGN
POLICY FURTHER
Some analysts trace the origin of foreign policy to 17th-century
Europe where states began separating and categorizing policies
either under their internal affairs or external affairs. Others have
argued that it is as old as the oldest organized state or political
communities. Political scientist Halvard Leira explained that the
discipline of international relations provides two takes on the
definition of foreign policy. The first one describes it as an
“abstract expression of relations between political entities” that
serves as an analytical tool for examining fundamental issues
emerging from the interrelation of organized groups. The second
definition is a critique of the first one. It defines foreign policy
not as a bridge between two political entities or organized
groups but as one of the manners in which a particular political
entity differentiates itself from the rest. This definition makes
foreign policy both a producer and a product of the modern state
and state system. Note that the first definition is attuned to the
notion the origin of foreign policy is as old as the first organized
political community. On the other hand, the second definition is
aligned with the view that it is a product of modern international
affairs. 18th-century Europe also saw the emergence of the need
to separate the affairs of a state into two broad categories. Note
that this period was characterized by extreme turbulence in the
relationship among European nations or countries due to
ongoing conflicts, as well as internal issues and problems
affecting a particular country. Nevertheless, the situation
resulted in categorizing issues into two: civil affairs and foreign
affairs. Civil affairs pertain to domestic management of internal
issues while foreign affairs represent the management of issues
outside the sovereign realm. The modern definition of foreign
policy now centers on it being the general goals and objectives
that direct the activities and relationships or interactions of a
particular state with other states and non-state actors. This policy
is influenced by national interest or domestic considerations and
the situations in the international community.
A LOOK INTO THE PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF
FOREIGN POLICY
In order to understand further the modern definition, it is
also necessary to understand the purpose and importance of
foreign policy. Remember that this policy is shaped both by
domestic considerations and the issues in the greater
international community. The foreign policy of a particular state
or country is fundamentally a product of different needs that
must be met and issues that must be addressed. Of course, there
is a template for designing one, and it revolves around defense
and security purposes, advancing economic interest or
promoting economic gains, and an internationalist adherence.
1. Defense and Security
Numerous scholars and thinkers have written and published
topics on policymaking that seem to suggest the
inseparability of defense strategy from foreign policy. One
example is the book by Derek S. Reveron, Nikolas K.
Gvosdev, and Mackubin Thomas Owens. In “U.S. Foreign
Policy and Defense Strategy,” Reveron, Gvosdev, and
Owens explored the relationship between foreign policy
and defense strategy. They mentioned that after the Second
World War, the United States became a superpower that
embraced the responsibility of promoting peace and
security through policies directed toward foreign countries.
The Cold War became an avenue for the American
government to influence the international community while
also battling the domestic threats from the Soviet Union.
The U.S. managed these threats by empowering countries
at risk of transitioning to communism. British politics
lecturer Thibaud Harrois also wrote an exploratory article
on the impact of the post-Cold War Era on the foreign
policy and defense policy of the United Kingdom. He noted
that the end of the Cold War marked a shift from a realist
view of international relations to a more neoliberal
adherence that upholds interstate cooperation.
Intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations
and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are the product
of this adherence to interstate cooperation. Memberships to
these nonstate entities require a suitable foreign policy.
Most modern countries have specific agenda within their
respective foreign policies aimed toward the promotion of
military alliances to deter threats from aggressors. Some
also have specific non-military or soft power agenda to
promote defense and security. Notable examples include
foreign aid and the rollout of different types of economic
sanctions.

2. Economic Interest
Another purpose of foreign policy is to promote the
economic interest of a particular country or achieve
economic gains. Globalization is an inescapable reality.
Countries that want to maximize their advantages must
have policies aimed at guiding their participation in global
affairs. The specific process of economic globalization has
compelled countries to create policies that would define
their role in the global economy and international trade.
Some of these policies also have specific guidelines or
open opportunities for the creation of more specific policies
aimed at directing the participation of a particular country
in international trade. Several countries have also formed
intergovernmental organizations and multi-state entities to
promote their respective economic interest. Examples
include the European Union, the World Trade Organization,
and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Maximizing the benefits of global participation for
economic gains spells out the modern importance of
foreign policy. A country with a specific policy aimed at
promoting its economic interest generally involves creating
and enforcing particular guidelines centered on directing its
behavior in the global economy and international trade.

3. Internationalist Pursuit
The foreign policy doctrine called liberal internationalism
and the idealist school of thought prescribes and argue that
stronger and more well-off countries have the
responsibility of assisting and guiding weaker and less
well-off or less-fortunate countries. Liberal
internationalism has two specific main points. The first one
requires international actors to attain multilateral
agreements that promote and protect rules based norms and
liberal democracy. The second one requires actors adhering
to liberal internationalism to intervene in other countries to
pursue liberal objectives. The foreign policy of the U.S. is
partly inspired by the aforesaid doctrine. Remember that
Reveron, Gvosdev, and Owens mentioned that the
government embraced the responsibility of promoting
democracy and maintaining global security after the
Second World War. It is also important to note that several
countries also embrace the Responsibility to Protect
commitment. All members of the United States endorsed
 this at the 2005 World Summit to address pressing global
human rights issues and mass atrocity crimes such as
genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against
humanity. Outside the promotion of rules-based
international order, countries have specific policies for
guiding their international humanitarian programs. These
programs center on saving lives, alleviating suffering, and
maintaining human dignity in other parts of the world. The
modern importance of foreign policy can also be
understood through the emergence of international
environmental cooperation. Political scientist John Barkdull
explained that the international agreements on
environmental issues such as the ongoing climate
emergency are a product of the coordination of the foreign
policies of different countries.
ACKNOWLEDGING THE MODERN ROLE OF
FOREIGN POLICY
In answering what foreign policy is and why is it important,
it is imperative to acknowledge it based on its modern
definition: a set of goals and objectives that direct the activities
and relationships or interactions of a particular state with other
states and non-state actors. The foreign policy of a particular
country is fundamentally both a strategy and guideline for
dealing with other countries or states, supranational
organizations, other political actors and political entities, and
even non-state actors. The increasing interconnectedness of the
world makes dealing with international actors as important as
dealing with domestic affairs. Based on the discussions above,
the three general purposes of foreign policy are to promote
national security, as well as peace and order elsewhere, advance
economic interest through participation in the global economy,
and promote the interest of other nations. The three purposes
contradict one another at times. There are situations in which
national security and economic interest do not go with the
security and economic needs of others. Hence, it is important to
look at foreign policy not as a tool for promoting international
cooperation but as a way of defining the role of a country as an
international actor.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
Barkdull, J. 2017. “Environmental Policy and Foreign Policy.”
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University
Press. DOI: 1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.365
Harrois, T. 2014. “British Foreign and Defense Policy Since the
End of the Cold War: The State and Security Governance.”
Observatoire De La Société Britannique. 16. DOI:
4000/osb.1728
Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect. n.d. “What is
R2P?” Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect. Available
online
Leira, H. 2019. “The Emergence of Foreign Policy.”
International Studies Quarterly. 63(1): 187-198. DOI:
1093/isq/sqy049
Reveron, D. S., Gvosdev, N. K., and Owens, M. T. 2014. US
Foreign Policy and Defense Strategy: The Evolution of an
Incidental Superpower. Georgetown University Press. ISBN:
9781626161580