Values in Foreign Policy: Investigating Ideals and Interests

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Values in Foreign Policy: Investigating Ideals and Interests covers all aspects of the tension between values and national priorities, with specific reference to the leading countries of today. The volume explores the effect of the enlightenment, colonialism, modernity and post-modernity in determining contemporary value systems which are often uncomfortable in their interface with each other. This book, written in accessible, non-technical language, will be of interest and benefit to policy-makers and practitioners of foreign policy, as well as the academic community. It will be equally valuable to anyone interested in international relations. Written by specialists in the field of foreign relations, this is the closest examination ever made of the impulses which drive the foreign policies of the worlds most important countries, touching on the legacies of religion, civilization, culture and history. Companion website:http://www.foreignpolicy.org.in/home/

Reviews

What a rich harvest! With insight and verve, a constellation of esteemed scholars appraises the charged and sometimes contradictory place national (and transnational) values can play to shape dispositions and decisions by key actors. Truly global in scope, the book reveals how specific, situated patterns guide these discernments and determinations in a world oriented to power, shaped by national particularities, and divided by sovereign boundaries. -- Ira Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University
At a time when rising populism, deal-making and transactional diplomacy are widely seen to be in the ascendant, this collection of essays could not be more timely. It is never a simple question of either values or interests when it comes understanding to the conduct and drivers of foreign policy. What is needed is a deeper appreciation of the complex relationship between the two. This is precisely what this stimulating and thought-provoking book offers. -- Mats Berdal, Professor of International Relations, King's College London
With great intellectual verve the contributors to this volume engage with the question of values in a world in which many old certainties about public goods such as democracy and human rights are being questioned as never before. The book provides a very worthy contribution to a critical and ongoing debate. -- Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, Director of IDEAS, London School of Economics
This book could not be more timely, given the crisis of values that many nations and regions are experiencing. The diverse and distinguished authors are to be praised and listened to. Their perspectives will help readers in their capacities as citizens of the world. -- Strobe Talbott, Former US Deputy Secretary of State and President of Brookings
Many countries claim to conduct a foreign policy based on moral values or ethical principles. In reality these claims have to compete with international realities, power politics and the unforeseeable. This wide-ranging book reflects the long and distinguished careers of its contributors in the clarity and incisiveness with which it tackles this complex field and establishes the essential elements in a major constituent of foreign policy as conducted in Asia and the West. -- Roger Hervey, Former British Ambassador
Every country decides on its national interests and values and then pursues them pragmatically. You can read what these are in Values in Foreign Policy. You can then judge which countries are better prepared to accept the responsibilities for combating global problems such as accelerating Climate Change, religious and ethnic wars, poverty and mass migration. -- Colin Imray, Former British Ambassador
The question of different countries values and how, if at all, they are reflected in foreign policy, is one of great importance for the future world order. Krishnan Srinivasan, a distinguished Indian diplomat, and his co-editors have done us a great service in reaching beyond the usual Western academic suspects and bringing together perspectives on this crucial issue from different parts of the world. -- Edward Mortimer, Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford
Values in Foreign Policy: Investigating Ideals and Interests discusses value systems lying behind foreign policies of major international players, often touching on their historical and cultural legacies, and compares them with their actual practices and pragmatic adjustments. It contains eighteen contributions of authors specialising in the foreign policies of important countries of Asia and the West. Written in very accessible language, this book is a must-read not only for policy-makers and practitioners of foreign policy, but for all interested in international relations. -- Diwakar Acharya, Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics, University of Oxford
As interest in foreign policy is being reignited and re-imagined to explore the values of multiple nations in an increasingly non-Western world, this is a very timely book. That it is written with an eye to context and fabric, and in language that makes sense to the world beyond the hallowed corridors of technical power, makes it not just timely but an important book for our time. Edited by Krishnan Srinivasan, this is a book that no one with an interest in foreign policy should miss. -- Jeanne-Marie Gescher, Senior Fellow, SOAS China Insititute
Values in Foreign Policy is a significant book. An understanding of values in different continents is critical to successful diplomacy in todays increasingly interconnected world. The distinguished contributors provide insights of importance to both practitioners and academics. -- Veronica Sutherland, Frrmer British Ambassador and President of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge
Values in Foreign Policy is about the relation of values to foreign policy. In a rather under-developed area of thinking, the studies in it are timely, clear and illuminating. The Introduction and inter alia, Krishnan Srinivasans chapter on India, show a characteristic combination of objectivity, lucidity and mastery. It would be difficult to find a volume with a more subtle understanding of value systems. -- Henry Mary-Harting, Former Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Oxford
At a time when the virtues of internationalisation and global citizenship are being challenged and borders seem to be narrowing, this is a timely book. In a series of lively essays, this book will be of interest to policy makers, NGOs and all interested in how pragmatism and idealism meet in diplomatic relations. It also contains a valuable critique of post-colonial legacies and how international relations are influenced by religion, culture and history. -- Joanna Newman, Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities, London
At a time of great change and uncertainty in global affairs, the role of values and value systems in national foreign policies will be of crucial significance in moderating or exacerbating international tensions. In this book, a glittering array of scholars and former diplomats offer often startling insights into the nature, content and efficacy of values as they shape and affect the foreign policies of key countries in North America, Europe and, especially, Asia. Both individually and collectively they open up important new perspectives on the past, present and future of international relations. -- Alex May, Senior Research Editor, Dictionary of National Biography, University of Oxford
Values in Foreign Policy shows that, while the external activities of states are often analysed in terms of realpolitik, governments are guided by cultural parameters. This is evident when they claim to promote human rights - or alternatives to these values that are described as western. But it is also true when rulers do not project any value-based discourse as then they comply unconsciously to some worldview or Weltanschauung. -- Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor, Kings Institute London, Former Director CERI, Sciences Po, Paris
Values in Foreign Policy is a remarkable book with a truly global scope. It is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the value systems in global politics in the 21st century. -- Anders Andrn, Professor, University of Stockholm
This book is a deep journey into the value systems shaping foreign policies around the world. An extremely important contribution today, when the connection between values and policy choices is increasingly confused and blurred. -- Giorgio Barba Navaretti, Professor of Economics, University of Milan
This book convincingly explores the interplay between theory and practice of different values in foreign policy, exemplified by expert studies on several countries in Asia, Europe and North America. The strength of this work lies, inter alia, in the fact that the detailed analyses of Asian sets of values, especially when contrasted with the West, prove the great diversity of value systems in Asia based on their multi-religious background. The book also succeeds in illustrating that modern foreign policy cannot be fully comprehended without substantial historical knowledge of pre-modern Asian and European societies. -- Annette Schmiedchen, Humboldt University, Berlin
The book prompts a rethinking of many assumptions held about the role national values play in shaping a states foreign policy. It explores how different countries can apply, export, exploit, ignore and sometimes wilfully controvert the values applied in their domestic policy in pursuit of international objectives. Values in Foreign Policy is an essential guide to both scholars and practitioners of diplomacy, as well an informative and accessible read for anyone with even a passing interest in modern international history. -- Anna Belkina, Deputy Editor in Chief, Russia Today, Moscow
While reading the excellent chapter in Values in Foreign Policy by William J. Antholis on US foreign policy, key words caught my attention; multilateralism, engagement, democracy, and intervention to protect these values. Antholis writes while the president is the dominant player in setting US foreign policy, he cannot simply act alone. This reinforces my faith in democracy and it is America which has to provide leadership. -- Sushanta Duttagupta, Professor and Former Vice Chancellor of Viswa Bharati University
The movement towards various forms of global convergence, even if fitful, with many areas fractious and contested, is now a reality for the world community. This pioneering book Values in Foreign Policy on the balance between values and the reality of foreign policy compulsions in different parts of the world, is an essential and vital contribution to an understanding of the forces that will shape this evolution, which both the general

Author Bio

Krishnan Srinivasan is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. James Mayall is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Cambridge University and fellow of the British Academy. Sanjy Pulipaka is Senior Fellow at the Nehru Museum and Library and adviser to ICRIER, New Delhi.