| ID | 145783 |
| Title Proper | Feedback loops in a world of complexity |
| Other Title Information | a cybernetic approach at the interface of foreign policy analysis and international relations theory |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Gadinger, Frank ; Peters, Dirk |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Feedback in foreign policy occurs when a state's foreign policy affects the international context of that state and those changes in context subsequently impact on the state's future foreign policy decisions. In this way, feedback loops can develop, which may become self-reinforcing and in which foreign policy and international context continuously affect each other. Even though such processes are ubiquitous especially in a globalized world, they have hitherto received little systematic attention. We introduce cybernetics as a perspective that puts such feedback effects at the centre of attention and provides an accessible sequential framework for analysing them. Such a cybernetic analysis not only demonstrates the significance of feedback processes in foreign policies but also speaks to several recent debates in international relations theory and foreign policy analysis. In particular, it highlights processes of learning and change, of non-linearity and indeterminacy, and enables the researcher to integrate insights from structure- and agency-based approaches. We outline the merits of a cybernetic analysis by discussing the effects of feedback in the United States' War on Terror. |
| `In' analytical Note | Cambridge Review of International Affairs Vol. 29, No.1; Mar 2016: p.251-269 |
| Journal Source | Cambridge Review of International Affairs Vol: 29 No 1 |
| Key Words | International Relations Theory ; Foreign Policy Analysis ; Feedback Loops ; World of Complexity ; Cybernetic Approach |