“Foreign Policy”: The Analysis of the Sovereignty Myth as a New Contextualization

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the term ‘foreign policy’ is not an innocent concept because it legitimizes the so-called distinction between domestic and foreign policies and therefore provides a strong case for the nation-state whose main characteristic is a coercive power on the people. By employing post-structuralist arguments, I attempt to deconstruct this distinction and the principal myth on which it has been constructed. The myth is sovereignty which is the main source of unconstrained authority for the nation-state on the people. I tried to show that sovereignty is not an out-there reality. Rather it is a myth reproduced by discourses, practices and texts. I also propose a new concept instead of the term ‘foreign policy’. It is a foreign policy, which always reminds us power relations hidden behind the concept.

Keywords

Foreign Policy, Sovereignty, Intervention, Nation-state, Westphalia.

Citation

Balcı, Ali, ““Foreign Policy”: The Analysis of the Sovereignty Myth as a New Contextualization”, International Relations, Volume 7, Issue 28 (Winter 2011), pp. 3-29.

Affiliations

• Ali Balcı, Dr., Sakarya University, Department of International Relations