What is Foreign Policy?
Foreign Policy is a nations’ attitude, actions (ie financial sanctions, peacekeeping, military activity) as effectively as our dealings with other nations (ie trade, immigration, help, defence) and something that is directed towards preserving and furthering specific national interests. Foreign Policy seeks to retain national security, market economic and trade interests, expand regional and worldwide links, and market the nation as a superior worldwide citizen.
Why is FP distinctive in terms of FP creating?
Certainly, FP is special in terms of policy generating, largely because it calls for little legislation. In essence, governments do not have to face a evaluation of their policy enshrined in legislation in the Senate. Arguably FP may perhaps be created with small reference to Parliament as it generally obtains bi-partisan help as not too long ago exemplified by the outstanding Labor Party support for an further Medicare levy to cover the fees of Australian peacekeeping forces in East Timor. Consequentially, FP is seldom a topic for elections as it does not directly have an effect on the electorate, nor does it gather the identical level of neighborhood participation or interest as quite a few other policies.
Crucial features…
A 1997 White Paper on Foreign and Trade Policy known as ‘In the National Interest’ is the most essential single statement on FP in recent years. It set the guideline for FP according to the National Interest. Implicit in the National Interest is to maintain national safety by way of international diplomacy and readiness to defend the continent and territories against doable armed attack or other aggression, to protect and market the nation’s economic welfare and living requirements, which increasingly rely on worldwide economic growth, cost-free international trade and the self-confidence of worldwide international markets, and to preserve our democratic way of life, and our civil and political liberties.
A much more current foreign policy priority is the promotion of the nation as an active and accountable global citizen. Achievement in this location is measured by our response to human rights, terrorism, third globe debt, and drug issues. Australia currently has a well deserved international reputation simply because of the work of prior foreign ministers, e.g Bill Hayden and Gareth Evans on human rights.
Important players and their roles…
Decisions about FP are made by the executive and the bureaucracy making it incompatible with the democracy that Australia is. The government can dominate foreign policy in a way that it can’t dominate domestic policy. The specialised nature of the development, ultimate secrecy and lack of legislative obligations…