Changing foreign policy: the Obama Administration’s decision to oust Mubarak

This paper analyses the decision of the Obama administration to redirect its foreign policy towards Egypt in the wake of the Arab Spring. It attempts to highlight the issue of how governments deal with decision-making at times of crisis, and under which circumstances they take critical decisions that lead to major shifts in their foreign policy track record. It focuses on the process that led to a reassessment of US (United States) foreign policy, shifting from decades of support to the autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, towards backing his ouster. Specifically, the paper attempts to assess to what extent the decision to withdraw US support from a longstanding state-leader and ally in the Middle East can be seen as a foreign policy change (FPC). A relevant research question this paper pursues is: how can the withdrawal of US support to a regime considered as an ally be considered, in itself, as a radical FPC

Foreign policy and globalization theory: The case of Israel

Since the early 1990s, international relations has witnessed a stimulating debate on globalization. This debate laid the foundations for globalization theory (GT), providing the tools for an empirical examination of the globalization of multiple activities: from politics and organized violence, to finance, trade and production, through culture and environmental degradation. However, examination of what appear to be the best-known works on globalization reveals that foreign policy has been virtually excluded from GT. In this context, based on what is described here as a synergistic transformationalist approach (STA) to globalization, I provide a critique of GT. The critique is geared towards examining why foreign policy hitherto has been overlooked by contemporary GT. I expose the problems this generates and address them by exploring how STA enables GT to incorporate foreign policy. I use the case of Israel heuristically to elicit how incorporating foreign policy into GT may provide a better understanding of the relationship between foreign policy and globalization. Three themes are highlighted: the role of foreign policy in inducing and reproducing globalization; determining the mutually constitutive relationship between globalization and the state; and shaping the interfacing between international politics and globalization

The Bilateral Relations of the Benelux Countries with Russia: Between Rhetorical Engagement and Competitive Business Interests

This article explores the willingness of the Benelux countries to coordinate Russia related policies at EU level, contrasting their traditional pro-integrationist disposition and national economic interests. At rhetorical level all three states display a willingness to coordinate policies within the EU. In practice, however, this is dependent on the individual country’s economic interests, with energy being of particular importance in Dutch-Russian relations. There appears to be considerable inter-state competition in obtaining lucrative commercial contracts, undermining a coherent EU approach towards Russia. The traditional sources of influence of small states in the EU are limited in the case of the Benelux and Russia. With their traditional pro-integrationist attitudes having undergone substantial change, the Benelux states lack the leadership and the credibility to be seen as impartial brokers of a coalition for a coherent Russia strategy. Ad hoc coalitions on the basis of converging economic interests appear to be more determining for the coordination of Russia policies within the EU