Understanding Foreign Policy Decision Making

Alex Mintz is Dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC-Herzliya, Israel. He is editor of the journal Political Psychology, former co-editor of Foreign Policy Analysis and associate editor of the Journal of Conflict Resolution. Mintz was the 2005 recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award for distinguished contribution to the field from the Foreign Policy Analysis section of the International Studies Association (ISA). He has published, edited, or co-edited nine books and is the author of multiple journal articles. Karl DeRouen, Jr, is Professor of Political Science, Director of the International Studies Program, and a College of Arts and Science Faculty Fellow (2008–11) at the University of Alabama. His work has appeared in the Journal of Politics, International Organization, the Journal of Peace Research, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the British Journal of Political Science and a number of other journals.

• Part I. Introduction: 1. Why study foreign policy from a decision making perspective?; Part II. The Decision Environment: 2. Types of decisions and levels of analysis in foreign policy decision making; 3. Biases in decision making; Part III. Models of Decision Making: 4. The rational actor model; 5. Alternatives to the rational actor model; Part IV. Determinants of Foreign Policy Decision Making: 6. Psychological factors shaping foreign policy decisions; 7. International, domestic and cultural factors influencing foreign policy decision making; Part V. Marketing Foreign Policy: 8. Marketing, framing and media effects in foreign policy decision making; Part VI. Conclusion: 9. Conclusion: wrapping things up; Appendix: an applied decision analysis exercise and simulation.

'… Understanding Foreign Policy Decision Making … is a tour d'horizon of foreign policy-making analysis that offers valuable insights into the complex world of decision-making processes, with many case studies attuned to the theoretical and conceptual frameworks presented in the book … Mintz and DeRouen present a meticulous and excellent study of FPDM processes that should be essential reading for students, scholars of IR and kingmakers.' Tuncay Kardaş, Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs