Study On The U.S. Foreign Policy Decision-making Pattern In Perspective Of System Theory

Foreign decision-making regime is the core of foreign policy analysis, and the American’s foreign decision-making regime is the symbol case among the developed country. Foreign decision-making theory was created in the 1950 s, and till now, the theory used the experience of other subject for reference had a great development. Decision-making model have different types like rational actor model, groupthink model, bureaucratic politics model organizational process model, and concentric circles model, funnel model. These models have some explanatory power, and partly reflect the complexity of American’s foreign decision-making. System analysis approach can partly simplify the complex foreign decision-making system, and help us clear the ‘black box’ of American foreign decision-making. This paper will take a further analysis on the American’s foreign decision-making system and process based on the information theory and control theory.Dividing the American’s foreign decision-making in the perspective of system theory result to information subsystem, consulting subsystem, choosing subsystem, implementation subsystem, supervision subsystem. These five subsystems influence each other and commonly constitute the organic system of the American’s foreign decision-making. The intelligence agencies are the core of information subsystem; the think tanks and advisor of president are the core of consulting subsystem; the President and Secretary of State are the main decision-maker in choosing subsystem; the State Department, the Department of Defense and CIA are the implementation agencies; the Congress and the Public Opinion make up the supervision and feedback subsystem. These subsystems have overlapping functions caused of the design of American’s domestic political institution. The unique foreign decision-making regime of is order to maintain the American’s national interest.Analysis the foreign decision-making process based on the information theory and control theory, we can divide three section: information process, control process and feedback process. In the information process, intelligence collection and intelligence analysis are included. Then, the intelligence information will be taken as the input to enter the control department, and constitute the consulting process, choosing process and implementation process. Finally, the implementation effect will be supervised by the Congress and the mass media, and formed the feedback process. From the intelligence input to the foreign policy output shaped the complete process.This paper use Tea Party movement as the example to analysis the influencing mechanism on American foreign policy decision-making. Tea party movement have influenced the cognition of the decision-maker through American’s political election to impact the Right-deviationist conservatism of Congress, and use the voting right of Republican Congressman to influence the supervision and feedback process of foreign policy decision-making.