Rationality and Foreign Policy

Foreign policy is an important area of public policymaking. It is a “dependent” concept affected by various factors. This paper expounds “rationality” as one of the most important determining factors in foreign policymaking. Since foreign policymaking has been entrusted to political elites of the society، their rationality will determine the type of foreign policies made and their strategic consequences for their respective societies. The situation of foreign policymaking in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China، whose leaders enjoyed various degrees of rationality، determined different fates for those countries. This case reminds us of the importance of the quality of foreign policymaking and its impact in increasing the national power or causing structural weaknesses and subsequent reduction in political legitimacy. The consequences of foreign policymaking in the former Soviet Union led to its collapse while in China، the government’s national power increased. The difference should be sought in the degree of rationality of the two countries’ political elites.