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A Review of External Factors That Determine Foreign Policy Formulation

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 Indo-Iranian Journal of Scientific Research (IIJSR)
Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 119-130, January-March 2018

A Review of External Factors That Determine Foreign Policy Formulation

Zainab Gimba1 and Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim2
1
Department of Public Administration, University of Maiduguri.
2
Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja.

Article Received: 30 November 2017 Article Accepted: 31 January 2018 Article Published: 13 March 2018

ABSTRACT

The paper delves into the external factors that shape and determine a state‟s foreign policy. It also examines some conceptual interpretations as it
relates to the making of foreign policy. The paper adopts library instrument of secondary research to generate its findings. The paper discovers that,
factors such as international organizations, public opinion, states action or inaction etc greatly affect the process of foreign policy formulation of
states. The paper concludes that these external factors are dynamic and they keep changing with the foreign policy posture of states. The paper
recommends drastic adoption of strategies in policy formulation that would be in tandem with a state‟s national interest.
Keywords: External Factors, Determine, Foreign Policy and Formulation

INTRODUCTION
Each nation has the right and power to secure the goals of her national interest in international relations. It is her
supreme duty to satisfy the needs of her people. Each nation wants to be self-reliant in all areas of activity.
However, in reality no nation can achieve cent per cent self-reliance and self-sufficiency. These are ideals towards
which a nation can try to move. The Foreign Policy of a nation is always made and implemented with an eye on the
situation in various regions of the world. A situational change in West Asia or South-East Asia or Africa
necessitates a change or modification of the foreign policies of many nations. ”Nations have always been
interdependent and these are bound to remain so even after attaining high levels of development. “Interdependence
has been an incontrovertible fact of international relations.” It compels every nation to get essentially involved in
the process of establishing and conducting relations with other nations. Each nation establishes diplomatic,
economic, trade, educational, cultural and political relations with other nations. For giving meaning and direction to
her relations with other nations, each nation formulates and adopts a Foreign Policy. It is through its foreign policy
that it tries to secure the goals of national interest in international relations. The behaviour of each nation in
international environment is always conditioned by its foreign policy.

International relations
International relations, to start with, is much broader than foreign policy and international politics in the sense that
it is the sum total of relationships among actors in the international system (Ofoegbu, 1998:2). The actors in the
international system include states of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United State of America; international
organization such as Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), and the
United Nations Organization (UNO); Multinational Corporations such as Coca-cola, Paterson Zochonis, First
Bank; liberation movements such as Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas and Fatah; and individuals such as
Osama Bin Laden and Nelson Mandela. The relationships among these actors may include political, economic,
military, religious and socio-cultural. The political interactions may include opening up of embassies and exchange
of diplomats by states as well as their membership in international organizations. The economic interactions may
include trade between states. The military interactions may include signing of defence agreements and military

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exchange program among states. The religious interactions may include performing pilgrimages and religious
preaching and enlightenment across the world. The socio-cultural interactions may include sports. By international
system, one is simply referring to the environment within which the actors interact. For instance, it can be like a
state like Nigeria, a sub-region like West Africa, or a continent like Africa, by extension, the entire world.

International politics
International politics is an essential aspect of international relations. Scarcity of values can either lead to conflict or
cooperation, peace or war between states. Thus, politics in the international system is who gets what, when and how
(Lasswell, 1971). International politics is about national interests. To Morgenthau, the national interest is defined in
terms of power. Thus, international politics, like all politics, is the struggle for power Morgenthau (1993).
International politics, therefore, refers to the processes of interaction between two or more states. It involves all
political interactions, whether conflicting or cooperative, defensive or offensive among states in the course of
pursuing their competing national interest.

Foreign Policy
Foreign policy is simply the foreign action of a state or what Holsti called the conscious behaviour of a nation-state
towards her external environment (Holsti, 1977:20-21). In a similar way, Philips observes that foreign policy is a
state‟s attitudes or official policies towards areas or events outside of the state, Philips (1964). In Northedge‟s view,
the foreign policy of a country is a product of environmental factors- both internal and external to it (Northedge,
1968). From the foregoing, it implies that nation-state such as Nigeria has certain goals, which could be termed as
national interests that it wants to achieve. And so also so like any other nation-state, Nigeria is confronted by both
the internal and external environment s in her foreign policy formulation. The achievements of its goals depend on
these environmental factors. These factors therefore, can either impede or enhance the country from achieving its
national interest. Thus, foreign policy is the act of pursuing national interest guided by certain principles and
influenced by the external conditions.

Foreign policy is therefore understood to have both domestic and external linkages. This is why Northedge (1968)
asserts that the foreign policy of a country is a product of environmental factors – both internal and external to it.
Foreign policy determinants therefore are associated with domestic and external environment of a state. As such, it
is important to note that they are subject to change with time and circumstances.

The Foreign Policy of Each Nation Contains:

1. A set of principles, policies and decisions adopted and followed by the nation in international relations.
2. Objectives, goals or aims of national interest which are to be secured.
3. Means to be used for achieving the goals of national interest.
4. Broad policy principles and decisions for conducting international relations.
5. Assessment of the gains and failures of the nation in respect of its goals of national interest.

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6. Policies, decisions and action-programs for maintaining continuity or change or both in international relations. In
simple words, it can be observed that Foreign Policy is a set of principles and decisions, a plan of action and a
thought out course of action adopted and used by a nation for conducting relations with other nations and all
international actors with a view to secure the preferred and defined goals of her national interest.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The big question asked in international relations and foreign policy is: Why do states behave the way they do in the
international system? Some people argue that this is a question of international relations theory and others say it is
a question of foreign policy theory. For our purposes, we can consider them the same issue. Why do states behave
the way they do is the question that theories of international relations and theories of foreign policy are trying to
answer. The fact that these are treated as separate bodies of theory says more about political scientists than it does
about the nature of state behaviour. Since political science is concerned with theory building, our focus will be on
a theory. The search for theory is a search for rules to explain social science phenomenon (in this case foreign
policy behaviour determined by external influence). Theories are statements about cause and effect. Since we are
social scientists and since we are dealing with nations, we cannot run experiments, we cannot invade several
nations to see what their different reactions to invasion might be. We had to use historical data on the behaviour of
a State foreign policy, resulting from the external factors that determine the foreign policy formulation, to test for a
theory and then arrived at the System Level Theory.

The System level of analysis examines state behaviour by looking at the international system. In this level of
analysis, the international system is the cause and state behaviour is the effect. Characteristics of the international
system cause states to behave the way they do. Change in the international system will cause change in state
behaviour. The key variable in the international system is the power of a state within the system. Some states are
powerful; others are weak. So for example, the cold war had two powerful states. Therefore the central cause of all
state behaviour in the cold war was the fact that the US and USSR were the two powerful states in a bipolar
system. Today, there is Uni-polar system – one superpower (or hyper-power) -- and that defines the behaviour of
all other states in the system. (See neo-realism below). So this level of analysis might explain the US intervention
in Iraq as a matter of the US, the one and only powerful state, flexing its muscles to police the world against states
that threaten it. The US wants to preserve its dominance and therefore crushes all challengers.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Foreign Policy is the use of political influence in order to induce other states to exercise their law-making power in
a manner desired by the states concerned: it is an interaction between forces originating outside the country‟s
borders and those working within them Northedge (1968). Foreign policy of a state is concerned with the behaviour
of a state towards other states. It refers to the ways in which the central governments of sovereign states relate to
each other and to the global system in order to achieve various goals or objectives. Through its foreign policy, it
endeavours to persuade others in accordance with one‟s own ends. It is primarily in proportion to its national power

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that its persuasive power is effective in this regard. However, even a powerful state cannot afford to enjoy a solo
flight in this regard. It has to take into account, not only its own objectives and interests, aspirations and problems,
but also those of other states. This process involves intricate processes of diplomacy short of war. It is also based on
the observations regarding the traditional behaviour of a given state. Moreover, a state while implementing its
foreign policy cannot afford to ignore the rules of International law and canons of international morality. The whole
essence of this prelude is that the term foreign policy cannot be studied in isolation from the factors that determine
it. Foreign policy is the key element in the process by which a state translates its broadly conceived goals and
interests into concrete course of action to attain these objectives and preserve interests.

Foreign Policy Objectives

In analysing the term foreign policy objectives it could be understood from the concept of national interests.
National interest is the key concept in foreign policy formulation. It is the foundation of any state foreign policy.
National interest is the main reason or justification for foreign policy. The concept of national interest is very
difficult to define. To Paul Seabury (quoted in Holsti, 1977:139), the idea of national interests may refer to some set
of purposes which a nation should seek to realize in the conduct of its foreign relation. It may be regarded as those
purposes which a nation, through its leadership, appears to pursue persistently through time. Similarly, Ogwu
(1986:7) notes that national interests is supposed to refer to a collectivism of a nation‟s interests, or the sum total of
national values. Foreign policy objectives therefore refer to all the goals a state intends to achieve and pursue
whether aspirational or operational. Aspirational goals are mere desires, visions, plans, and dreams of a state while
operational goals are those which could be achieved using the state‟s capabilities.

Classification of Foreign POLICY objectives

Foreign policy objectives are specific, while some are general, some change, while others are static. Some are
costly, while others are relatively cheaper to achieve. In view of this, foreign policy objectives have been classified
into three In accordance with their degree of importance and resources allocated for their implementation. These
objectives are classified as follows: core objectives, middle range and long range objectives.

Core Objectives
These consist of the very vital interests which touch on the life of a state. The state is ready To sacrifice or commit
all its resources both human and natural, for the sake of its core objectives. The core objectives could include:
territorial integrity of a nation-state, security of a state and its sovereignty. And the importance of these core
objectives cannot be overemphasized because the survival and development of these of any nation-state depends on
the amount of security it enjoys.

Middle Range Objectives

The middle range objectives are those which a state values less than the core interests. They are categorized second
to the core values. The middle range objectives concern social welfare, economic development, prestige and self

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extension. States, in most cases, trade with one another, seeks foreign aid, join international organizations, and
promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation for the sake of the middle range objectives.

Long range objectives

Long range objectives are the kind of plans, dreams and visions designed to be achieved in the long run. They are
therefore not of immediate importance to a state. They are also goals not meant to be achieved in the near future. In
pursuing the long range goals, states normally make universal demands because their purpose is no less than to
reconstruct an entire international system according to a universally acceptable plans and vision. An example is
Nigeria‟s demand for a permanent seat on the security council of the United Nations.

Foreign Policy Orientation

Foreign policy orientation refers to the levels of commitment in which nation-state their interests. A state‟s foreign
policy orientation, therefore, is an expression of its levels of commitment on international issues (Holsti,1977:109).
According to Holsti (1977:109), foreign policy orientation refers to a state‟s general altitudes and commitment
toward the external environment, its fundamental strategy for accomplishing its domestic and external objectives
and aspirations and for coping with persisting threats. There are three fundamental levels of foreign policy
orientation:
a. Isolation- what is referred to as a strategy or orientation of political and military isolation is normally
indicated by a low level of involvement in most issues of the international system, a low number of
diplomatic or commercial transactions with other political units and societies, and attempt to seal off the
country against various forms of external penetration Holsti (1977:110). Isolationist orientation are often
based on the assumption that the state can best gain security and independence by reducing the transactions
with other units in the system, or by maintaining diplomatic and commercial contacts abroad while
handling all perceived or potential threats by building administrative walls around the home base Holsti
(1977: 110). Examples of countries that adopted this type of orientation include the United States of
America before and after the first world war; and china under the Chou Dynasty; Nepal; and Japan.
b. Nonalignment- the unwillingness of a state to commit its military capabilities for the sake of another is the
hallmark of nonalignment as a foreign policy strategy. Nonalignment appeared more as an orientation
towards East/West bloc conflicts than a true strategy toward all issues in the international system.
Nonalignment strategies were mostly confined to military matters. Examples of nonaligned states of
Europe-Ireland, Sweden and Finland were usually sympathetic to western diplomatic or economic projects,
but did not formally align themselves.
c. Diplomatic coalitions and military alliances- governments that seek to construct permanent diplomatic
coalitions or military alliances assume that they cannot achieve their objectives, defend their interests, or
deter perceived threats by mobilizing their own capabilities. They thus rely upon, and make commitments
to other states that share similar objectives (Holsti, 1977:118). Examples includes NATO and the defund
Warsaw pact. Article 5 of NATO treaty, for instance, reads „an armed attack on one or more of the parties

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is deemed to include an attack on the territory of any of the parties (Holsti, 1977:118). Alliance strategies
are closely linked to domestic needs. States that share common economic problems are likely to form
trading groups or diplomatic coalitions that maintain solidarity in trade issues. The most effective
economic coalition has been the organization of petroleum exporting countries (OPEC).

Foreign policy aims at achieving economic prosperity, as only an economically prosperous nation is to play more
assertive role in international politics. That is why Pakistan is endeavouring to gear up the pace of its economic
progress and to attain economic prosperity. It is usually the keen desire of each state to establish, strengthen and
widen its economic ties with other states. Status and prestige of a state can be secured only if the state is
economically stable and prosperous. In the process, the state has to diversify its trade and economy in order to make
it resilient enough to come up to the challenges of the competitive world. It has to export its goods, commodities
and raw material to more than one destination i.e. states; it has to strengthen its export base in more than one
commodity or good, so that no state, MNC, or group could exploit its vulnerability in this regard.

Expansion whether territorial or ideological, falls within the purview of middle range objective. Expansion through
capturing lands is direct sort of expansion which is no longer in vogue today. What is of greater concern is the
ideological expansion i.e. expansion through the propagation of ideas, ideologies, systems, cultures and values. The
West has successfully launched this type of expansion at the expense of Afro-Asian and the Third World countries.
Capitalism, market economy, English language and democracy of Western model and style have occupied a place
in the international system just because of hectic and effective propagation of the same by the West. Courtesy this
influence, the West and to some extent India has increased its soft power.

Long Range Objectives

A state while pursuing such type of objectives seeks to gain almost at the expense of all other states. Further they
have no time restrictions, as time limit is usually employed in pursuit of core and middle range objectives. After the
Communist Revolution of 1917 the Russian communist leaders, Lenin and Stalin reiterated that they would
endeavour to expand communist ideology through the every nook and corner of the Globe, as to them the capitalist
system was defective and exploitative in its very nature. It was the Long Range Objective of Communist Russia,
because by doing so they did not set any time limit for the realization of these objectives. So, Long Range Objective
are not only time consuming, but are also indefinite and vague i.e. nothing can be ascertained regarding the
outcome of the pursuit, so they are unpredictable as well.

STAGES IN FOREIGN POLICY DECISION MAKING

These stages are:
Assessment of the international and domestic political environment
Foreign policy is made and implemented within an international and domestic political context, which must be
understood by a state in order to determine the best foreign policy option. For example, a state may need to respond

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to an international crisis. Pakistan has to cultivate and maintain good relations with the members of OIC; it has to
support causes of the Umma because of the dictates of the public opinion. Similarly one reason Pakistan conducted
tit for tat nuclear tests in May 1998 following Indian nuclear tests was inter alia public pressure.

Goal setting
A state has multiple foreign policy goals. A state must determine which goal is affected by the international and
domestic political environment at any given time.

Determination of policy options

A state must then determine what policy options are available to meet the goal or goals set in light of the political
environment. This will involve an assessment of the state's capacity to implement policy options and an assessment
of the consequences of each policy option. Pakistan‟s decision of entering into Western sponsored alliances in the
50s and taking a U Turn in the wake of 9/11 were in fact some of the policy options that Pakistani Policy makers
opted for.

Formal decision making action

A formal foreign policy decision will be taken at some level within a government. Foreign policy decisions are
usually made by the executive branch of government. Common governmental actors or institutions which make
foreign policy decisions include: the head of state (such as a president) or head of government (such as a prime
minister), cabinet, or minister.

Implementation of chosen policy option

Once a foreign policy option has been chosen, and a formal decision has been made, then the policy must be
implemented. Foreign policy is most commonly implemented by specialist foreign policy arms of the state
bureaucracy, such as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs or State Department. Other departments may also have a role in
implementing foreign policy, such as departments for: trade, defence, and aid.

Foreign Policy has to operate in the international environment which is subject to many frequent and important
situational changes. Consequently, it always has to adapt according to these changes. These situational changes act
as foreign policy inputs. For example, socialist revolution in a neighbouring state or a military coup, or the
emergence of dispute between two friendly nations or the rise of a controversy in the United Nations or the
nationalization of industry by a major nation or the devaluation of a popular currency, or the aggression or
intervention by a nation against another nation etc., are some of the situational changes that keep on taking place in
the international environment. Such external changes always affect the formulation and behaviour of the foreign
policies of all the nations. The emergence of Sino-Soviet rift was a factor in changing the U.S. Foreign Policy
towards China. The Bangladesh war and its impact on the power structure in South Asia, the Afghanistan crisis, the

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supply of advanced technology and weapons to Pakistan by China, a Pakistan oriented US foreign policy etc, have
been the external situational inputs of Indian Foreign Policy.

The collapse of the USSR and the liquidation of socialist bloc acted a source of big changes in the foreign policy of
almost every state. The presence and activities of terrorist outfits in several countries have compelled all the nations
to undertake a collective fight against the menace of international terrorism. Further, the Foreign Policy of a nation
is always made and implemented with an eye on the situation in various regions of the world. A situational change
in West Asia or South-East Asia or Africa necessitates a change or modification of the foreign policies of many
nations. Similarly, international issues and crises are also important factors of Foreign Policy. The issue of New
International Economic Order, the energy crisis, the problem of distribution of international resources, the issue of
proliferation, protection of human rights, elimination of international terrorism and others has been major factors in
the foreign policy decisions of India and other developing nations.

SOME OUTLINED EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON FOREIGN POLICY

Power Structure
The modern state system has been in existence since 1648 Treaty of Westphalia. The modern state system includes
major, middling, and small powers. All states conduct their own foreign policies. One primary objective of each
county's foreign policy is to maintain its own political independence and security. In the traditional multi-polar
system, it was easier for states to switch sides and gain maximum gains from all sides. Thus Italy used this skill
deftly and switched sides during the height of World War I to gain its share in the post war colonial arrangement.
During the bipolar world system, however, the ideological fault lines were more clearly marked, and it was not easy
for states to switch sides frequently. Thus during the cold war, the countries of the Eastern Europe under the
security umbrella of the Warsaw Pact were under the direct influence of the former Soviet Union. And the countries
of the Western Europe together with the US and Canada entered into an alliance known as North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). The states were faithfully wedded to their respective alliances, and any signs of freedom
were strictly checked by the two superpowers. The demise of the Soviet Union and the advent of the Uni-polar
world has its own system dynamics. Bush‟s „either with us or against us‟ sort of declaration made many states from
the margins of the system to come forward and play effective roles in the so- called Global War on Terrorism
(GWOT). Pakistan was to take a smart strategic U-turn in order to be able to take advantage from the changed
international structure. Every type of power structure at international level has its own particular dynamics and that
has its impact on the foreign policies of the states.

International Organizations
The role and importance of international institutions as instruments of states‟ foreign policies, and the political,
military, functional, economic and humanitarian roles played principally by the United Nations in international
relations cannot be overestimated. These international organizations to varying degrees serve as modifiers of state
behaviour and as independent actors in their own right. They have profound impact on the determination of the

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foreign policy of a state. No state can decide and conduct its policy arbitrarily to the detriment of other states. UN
and other multilateral forums come to the rescue of the aggressed state. Usually sanctions are imposed which in
some cases become very effective provided the international community imposes them sincerely.

Reaction of other states

Likewise the system of states is fast transforming into a society of states state where each and every individual
states has regard for the rights of other states. Being sensible to the sensibilities of other states, no state can adopt a
unilateral policy. It has to take into account, and accommodate, if possible, the interests of the other stake-holders
as well. India and the US have to take stock of Pakistani interests in Afghanistan. They are also cognizant of the fact
that no plan for Afghanistan can work until and unless Pakistan is taken aboard in this regard. In 1939, Hitler
embarked upon the course of aggression vis-à-vis Poland and didn‟t assess and anticipate British reaction to such a
misadventure. This led to disastrous consequents for Germany and the Global system generally speaking. Pakistan
though not fully comfortable with being a willing partner in the Global War on Terror, has to be committed to the
same owing to international concerns and being apprehensive of international backlash.

World Public Opinion

Similarly the state, while formulating its foreign policy has to take into account the world public opinion. World
public opinion is more effective when it is supported by the domestic public opinion of the given state. Israel
usually flouts agreements and canons of international law with a least regard for them, but in the process it has lost
international goodwill. Power is not about military hardware or nukes and ammunitions; its equally important
component is a state‟s prestige known as „soft power‟. It is well known that the US administration was made to
effect changes in its Vietnam policy largely due to hostile world public opinion.

Alliances and International Treaties (Bilateral and Multilateral)

This is also an external influence on a foreign policy. Alliance is a means by which some nations pool their powers
or agree to pool their powers in the event of a particular situation. Alliances serve as instruments of foreign policies.
The extensive and intensive system of alliances that emerged in the Post-1945 period had a big impact on the
foreign policies of all the nations. During 1945-90 both the United States and the USSR, recognized and used
alliances as the means for consolidating their respective positions.

Their foreign policies, as well as the foreign policies of their allies were always governed by the goal to secure new
partners in their respective alliances and to maintain and consolidate the alliance partnerships. Even now, after the
demise of Warsaw Pact, the U.S.A. continues to consider NATO as the mainstay of its foreign policy in Europe.

NATO‟s support to the US decision to declare a war against Taliban‟s Afghanistan decidedly gave strength to the
US foreign policy. However, many other nations, the Non-aligned nations, still continue to regard alliances as a
source of tension and distrust and their foreign policies are still governed by the anti-alliance principle. Recently,

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another factor has become an external influential factor in Foreign Policy- making. The realization for mutual
inter-dependence has given birth to a large number of regional organizations, arrangements, agreements and
trading blocs.

European Union, ASEAN, SAARC NAFTA, APEC, SCO and several others have been major players in
international economic relations. The foreign policy of every nation is now becoming conscious of these
organizations, trading blocs and economic and trade agreements. The pressures of NPT & CTBT and the decisions
of WTO on every foreign policy is a well-known fact.

Hence, international treaties, pacts, trading blocs and alliances also constitute external factor of foreign policy. All
these are the major external inputs or factors of foreign policy. These are popularly called the determinants of
Foreign Policy. One thing must be, however, clearly understood that all these factors are inter-related and
interdependent. These act together or in combination as external influence, for the making and implementation of a
foreign policy. None of these is an independent determinant of Foreign Policy. All these factors have to be analysed
together for understanding the nature and objective of external influence on Foreign Policy of each nation.

Geographical Location
The geopolitical location of a state is one of the external determinants on its foreign policy. It matters where on the
globe a country is located. It matters whether the country has natural frontiers: that is whether it is protected by
oceans, high mountains, or deserts. It matters who one's neighbors are and whether a given country is territorially
large, populous, affluent, and well-governed. For instance, Kenya‟s foreign policy in the region has been shaped by
factors such as the presence of overlapping ethnic community across borders and being a littoral state of the Indian
Ocean which influences relations with landlocked neighbors.

Multinational corporations
Another external factor to foreign policy formulation is the activities of multinational corporations. And such
corporations are usually headquartered or based in the developed countries with a network of subsidiaries in the
developing countries, and also influence such developing country‟s foreign policy. The multinationals are
sometimes used as instruments of influencing the behaviour of states. In the mid-1970s, Nigeria, for example, had
to nationalize British petroleum and Barclays bank over British policy in support of the then apartheid south Africa.

Liberation movements
Liberation movements also influence foreign policy decisions by attracting sympathy from other states. Some
examples include the Palestinian liberation movements such as Hamas and Fatah which had their origin from the
Palestinian liberation organization (PLO). They often get financial assistance and diplomatic support especially
from the Arabs states. Nigeria has also in the past supported liberation movements such as the African national
congress (ANC), SWAPO and POLISARIO.

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CONCLUSION
It is clear from the above discussion that foreign policy of a country is determined by a number of factors. As most
of these factors are of changing nature, so with their evolution or transformation, foreign policies of countries also
keep on changing. In addition to these factors, certain developments at the international level such as development
of thermo-nuclear technology, onset of cold war and military alliances, elimination of colonialism have exercised
profound influence on the foreign policies of different countries. The creation of United Nations has also left a
mark on the foreign policies of different countries. The end of cold war influenced the states in every region of the
world to modify their foreign policies in according with the changing dynamics of the world. Post 9/11 has a similar
effect on the states. Pakistan had to make very important strategic readjustments in the wake of these terrorist
attacks on the world trade centre and Pentagon. In short it can be said that apart from the national determinants of
foreign policy, international environment which are external factors play an important role in the formulation and
orientation of the foreign policy of a state.

RECOMMENDATION
The objectives of any state give direction to its foreign policies. Such objectives may vary greatly but all states
should seek to preserve themselves, maintain their independence, and security. To attain its set goals and interests
in foreign policy, a state must continue to seek effective strategies in its approach to foreign policy depending on its
power, objectives and leadership. These objectives should be to promote economic development while
maintaining its traditional core principles and norms of non-alignment, non-interference in internal affairs of other
states, good neighbourliness and peaceful settlement of disputes.

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