For the American magazine, see Foreign Policy

A foreign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how a particular country will interact with the other countries of the world. Foreign policies generally are designed to help protect a country's national interests, national security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity. This can occur as a result of peaceful cooperation with other nations, or through aggression, war, and exploitation. The twentieth century saw a rapid rise in the importance of foreign policy, with virtually every nation in the world now being able to interact with one another in some diplomatic form.

Creating foreign policy is usually the job of the head of government and the foreign minister (or equivalent). In some countries the legislature also has considerable oversight. As an exception, in France and in Finland it is the head of state who is responsible for foreign policy, while the head of government mainly deals with internal policy.

International relations theory

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International relations have been studied and analyzed for centuries, and can partially explain the foreign policy of particular states. However note that International Relations Theory tries to explain the interaction in the international system between all states (and possibly non-state actors) and does not take into account the specific characteristics of particular states.

The sub-discipline that specialises in the study of foreign policy is known as foreign policy analysis (FPA).

See also

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• Foreign affairs
• Foreign minister
• Ambassador
• Diplomacy
• International relations
• Public policy
• Foreign relations of Canada
• Foreign relations of the United States
• Foreign relations of the United Kingdom

External links

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• Teaching Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Era
• Globalisation, health and foreign policy: emerging linkages and interests
• The National Committee on American Foreign Policy

Politics | International relations

Външна политика | Udenrigspolitik | Außenpolitik | Välispoliitika | Užsienio politika | Politică externă | Ulkopolitiikka | Utrikespolitik