Distinction between Political and Economic Instruments of Foreign Policy (Coursework Sample)

Distinction between Political and Economic Instruments of Foreign Policy Foreign policy has varied definitions to different people. According to Petric (2013), foreign policy is a systematic decision making process by authorised individuals of a given state that is aligned with the objectives of that state in dealing with other countries or group of countries. Political Instruments The main political instruments of Foreign Policy are mainly diplomacy, propaganda international alliances and treaties. Diplomacy Admittedly, the terms diplomacy and foreign policy are closely connected but they are not the same. Diplomacy is considered as an important element of foreign policy. Foreign policy is the strategic planning and formulation of a programme that is aimed at securing the goals of national interest, whereas diplomacy is the instrument through which foreign policy gets implemented abroad. One is the main issue while the other is the method of implementation (Gupta & Shukra, 2009). Diplomacy is primarily a political instrument that is employed in maximizing the interests of governments and to pursue foreign policy objectives and goals. Its is regarded as the most common, peaceful and direct instrument of foreign policy (McGowan, Cornelissen, & Nel, 2006). However, sometimes it is used coercively and most importantly and in most cases, diplomacy is often used together with other instruments to be effective. Diplomacy as a political instrument of foreign policy plays several important roles. First, diplomacy identifies the main objectives of a nation and its ability to fulfil the objectives. Secondly, diplomacy is employed in assessing the objectives of other nations and their abilities to fulfil those objectives. Thirdly, it’s the function of diplomacy to assess the compatibility of the objectives of these two or more states. Fourthly, diplomacy employs the best possible means in pursuing these objectives (International Relations Today, 2010). Diplomacy puts emphasis on relationships, mutual benefits, and concessions for the general good. Most importantly, it is a continuous process marked with repeated interactions and the process of learning from each other (Hutchings & Suri, 2015).Diplomacy sometimes includes threats and coercions but mostly it’s about discussions and bargaining. Propaganda Propaganda is the systematic attempt to have an influence on the way of thinking and perception of a target group of people for a specified purpose. Over time, propaganda has assumed many forms such as speeches, artwork, music and films (Jowett & O'Donnell, 2011). Though it is not used exclusively in a negative sense, propaganda quite often heavily lays the emphasis on the strong points of one particular group while at the same time suppressing or distorting facts. Propaganda is used as a political instrument of foreign policy. It involves the compilation and transmission of information that is linked to foreign policy and it’s carried out by those who work in various organs involved in foreign policy more particularly those in the diplomatic arena (Petric, 2013). The main aim of propaganda is to influence the foreign policy and the public in the target country. The propaganda messages when applied as an instrument of foreign policy are intended to influence the public opinion of another country which in turn will influence that country’s decision on foreign policy. Propaganda can assume various forms; black, white and gray propaganda (Baran & Davis, 2014). Black propaganda is deliberate and strategic dissemination of lies while misrepresenting the source of information as emanating from a trusted confidant of the targeted group, state or person. White propaganda deals with intentional suppression of contradictory ideas and information while at the same time promoting information that is highly consistent which supports the propagandists’ claims. Gray propaganda is the transmission of information that might be true or false, but deliberately avoiding to determine its validity as long as it serves the purpose. Therefore, propaganda has been used by many nations as an instrument of foreign policy. Alliances and International Treaties Forming alliances is another form of political instrument of foreign policy. Alliances are the means through which two or more nations come together, pooling their resources and powers with an aim of dealing with a given situation. Alliances can either assume an open form (publicly known), covert (secretly maintained), formal (managed by other creation bodies) or informal (absence of any structures). Admittedly, alliances have acted as sources of foreign policies, especially after the post war period (Jayapalan, 2001). However, some nations have opposed any alliances and their foreign policies are influenced by anti-alliances principles. The realization of the need of mutual inter-dependence has seen the rise in the number of international agreements and treaties. With this in mind, the foreign policies of most nations in such alliances are formulated consciously while balancing between those treaties and agreements that act in favour or against them. Many nations have come together because of the benefits package that come with the alliances. However, it’s important also to note that most nations have come to a realization of the burdens of such alliances. Considerable economic, political and military resources is required in the management of such alliances. On one hand, the bigger nations feel that they are being over-exploited by the smaller nations based on the little contribution of these small nations to the alliance. On the other hand, the smaller nations feel deprived of their freedom of carrying out their wishes (Hastedt, 2014). Thus, alliances and international treaties are important political instruments of foreign policy. Economic Instruments The main economic instruments are foreign aid, foreign economic policy and economic sanctions as analysed below. Foreign Aid Foreign Aid is the voluntary and intentioned transfer of public resources, typically, from one government, non-governmental organization or international organization with the aim of improving the lives of the recipient government (Lancaster & Van Dusen, 2005). Foreign Aid can assume different forms such as debt cancellations, cash grants or concessional loans. It can be used in funding of infrastructure, training and technical assistance of people and financing research. Foreign Aid is normally considered as a non-coercive instrument of Foreign Policy that is geared towards economic, human and social development. However, in some cases, it has been employed in a coercive manner. The reception of aid is tied to certain policies of the donor which the recipient should adopt failure to which there is a threat of discontinuation or the ultimate discontinuation of the foreign aid. Foreign Economic and Trade Policy Trade is the exchange of goods and services between different countries, and is considered as a crucial instrument of foreign policy. Similar to other foreign policy instruments, trade can be used in a cooperative manner, benefiting all concerned parties, or to coercively influence a foreign policy actor to behave in a particular manner. Trade policy has increasingly become multilateral shifting away from the past where it was typically a bilateral ins...