Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective: Domestic and International Influences on State Behavior

by Ryan K. Beasley (Editor), Juliet Kaarbo (Editor), Jeffrey S. Lantis (Editor)

Widely regarded as the most comprehensive comparative foreign policy text, Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective has been completely updated in this much-anticipated second edition . Exploring the foreign policies of thirteen nations―both major and emerging players, and representing all regions of the world―chapter authors link the study of international relations to domestic politics, while treating each nation according to individual histories and contemporary dilemmas. The book′s accessible theoretical framework is designed to enable comparative analysis, helping students discern patterns to understand why a state acts as it does in foreign affairs.

Genres: Nonfiction, School

392 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[David Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.6/10.

[Leanne Powner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In _Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective_, 2nd edition, Ryan Beasley and his collaborators have collected an impressive group of country experts to author chapters that place the state’s foreign policy very clearly in a comparative perspective. Chapters reference other chapters and cases, and make a point to use comparative language as much as possible (i.e., referencing the legislature instead of the Majlis or the House of Commons). The diverse collection of cases is also particularly good; it provides significant variation on just about any variable students could want to examine.

Unlike the typical edited volume, the quality of the chapters is almost uniformly high. The two or three that dip below excellent are still quite good; they appear to be cases where the authors thought their country was exceptional in some way that justified deviating from the agreed-upon chapter structure. The use of consistent chapter structures will greatly aid students in finding and comparing data about cases.

What I like the most about this book is the editors’ introduction to each chapter. It identifies core commonalities and differences between this chapter’s country and others in the book. This helps students see what it means to compare, and gives fertile ground for class discussion. One small thing I’d like to see as an ancillary is a compiled table for adopters that summarizes these shared qualities to facilitate deciding which case to assign when without having to read the whole book. While I have more than passing familiarity with most of the cases in this volume, I don’t know all of them well enough to know which to put on the syllabus for the day we talk about leaders and leadership, for example – my expertise is more in institutions.

In short, the book does all it possibly can to facilitate students learning to compare and to think like comparative foreign policy analysts. The things identified here may seem like small details, but together they add up to a student-friendly and teaching-friendly book.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admirably skewers democratic peace theory, albeit in a dry, mild, textbooky way.