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Foreign Policy

How states deal with one another: power, alliances, doctrines and the theories that explain them.

4 concepts explained · 2 essay guides

Fig. 1.0 Foreign Policy on the map of ideas
Foreign Policy Balance of power Isolationism Realpolitik Soft power

Left: closer to domestic politics. Up: closer to theory. Placement is orientation, not judgement.

Placement: Policy Review editors, reviewed October 2026.

Concepts in this field

  1. Balance of Power in International Relations: A Plain Guide The balance of power is the idea that states stay secure when power in the international system is spread out, so that no single… Foreign Policy · 6 min
  2. Isolationism: What It Means and How It Shaped American Foreign Policy Isolationism is a foreign policy that keeps a country out of the political affairs, alliances and wars of other nations. In the United States… Foreign Policy · 6 min
  3. Realpolitik: From Bismarck to Kissinger, and the Argument Over What It Means Realpolitik is an approach to politics and foreign policy guided by the actual distribution of power and by concrete national interests, rather than by… Foreign Policy · 6 min
  4. Soft Power Compared: How Attraction Differs from Hard and Smart Power Soft power is the ability of a country or another actor to get what it wants by attracting others rather than by coercing or… Foreign Policy · 4 min

Essay guides in this field

  1. China’s Quest for Asia: Five Claims About Southeast Asia, Checked Against What Happened Dana Dillon and John J. Tkacik Jr. argued in 2005 that China had already become the dominant power in Southeast Asia, using trade deals,… Essay guide · 6 min
  2. Power and Weakness: Robert Kagan’s Mars and Venus Essay Explained Robert Kagan argued in 2002 that Americans and Europeans see the world differently because of a gap in power: the strong are more willing… Essay guide · 6 min