Theory and Practice in Foreign Policy Making

The discipline of international relations has, in recent years, become separated from political science, the latter becoming viewed primarily as a study of government and domestic politics. At the same time, international relations has been experiencing uncertainty, firstly with the multi-paradigmatic structure of the disciple, and secondly, with the new wave of post-behavioural theorists questioning the utility of the discipline.;By analyzing, in a comparative framework, the relationship between academics and practitioners in foreign policy, this volume contributes to the current debates about the future role of international relations in a world increasingly characterized by interdependence and by a reduction in traditional notions of sovereignty.;The book investigates the subject on a number of levels. At one level there is a normative and philosophical analysis; what should the relationship be? The traditional liberal perspective is articulated, followed by prescription as seen from post-modernist and critical theoretical positions. Thereafter, a number of empirical-descriptive country studies follow, including Germany, Holland, Austria, Sweden, Russia and the USA. Finally, there is a comparatice chapter that puts the diversity into comparative perspective.