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We have been discussing the debates about the various sources of foreign policy (or the various prescriptions for foreign policy—the elements that “should” determine policy.) Your assignment is to pick newspaper articles that provide supporting evidence for the existence of or belief in these “sources” (how they explain current policy or should shape policy). Your job is to pick articles illustrating five of these sources/sub-sources in different articles. A few examples: an article illustrating the conservative realist perspective that moral concerns do or should take a back seat to the national interest. or an article illustrating a belief in the liberal realist view of defensive advantage, or an article illustrating how NGO’s influence (or should influence) policy, or an article illustrating how public opinion influences (or does not influence) policy, etc.You may also choose articles that discuss bipolarity, multipolarity, and unipolarity, as well as articles that provide evidence undermining particular views. Write a paragraph on each of the five articles, explaining how the article illustrates or provides evidence for the particular concept that explains or prescribes a particular foreign policy behavior/event/decision, etc. Include clippings of the articles with your evaluation/interpretations.

You may use a wide range of articles, editorials, op-ed pieces. Please avoid using letters to the editor.

The external sources of foreign policy include:

• Conservative Realism
  ----preservation and perpetuation of power in a competitive international environment
  ----the ability to project power abroad
  ----ignoring “moral” concerns and pursuit of the “national” interest
  ----maintaining a state that is autonomous from society
• Liberal Realism
  ----belief that miscalculations of power are likely
  ----belief that the security dilemma can be muted
  1. belief in a defensive advantage
  2. belief in arms control and inspections
  3. belief that multilateralism is in US interests
  4. belief in the democratic peace
• Globalism—(there is more than just anarchy out there) the international system has the following influences on policy:
  ----conflicts in foreign policy goals
  ----influences from non-governmental actors

The “internal” sources of foreign policy include:

• Public opinion as a source of policy preference
• “groupthink” the opinions and beliefs of a small group of political elites
• American culture, “national character"
• Corporate “interests” as the source of policy
• psychology, ideas, worldviews of key decisionmakers
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