Text of H.E. Foreign Minister Speech on Foreign Policy of Afghanistan
Foreign policy in a country that is in a state of transition has certain of its own characteristics. The articulation and pursuit of foreign policy in transitional societies is influenced, on the one hand, by a continuation of the past, the residual structures, values and beliefs and a host of skewed power relationships inherited from the past. On the other hand, foreign policy in a period of transition is influenced by a dynamic present, the various evolving social structures and values that are new and important but not yet fully established as determining forces. Before I elaborate more on this subject, I want to clarify some of the concepts that are relevant to the discussion.
Issues of foreign policy are an amalgam of views, opinions and perceived interests produced through an often fine balance between political forces at the domestic as well as external level, informed by a mixture the economic interests, security priorities, political ambitions and the geographical location of a country. Add to this the international alliances a country has, the nature and extent of its democratic experience, the growth of its civil society and a culture of peace, and you will get a broader set of factors determining foreign policy issues. A serious consideration of a country’s foreign policy requires careful evaluation and analysis of all of these determining factors, which is not possible in the opportunity we have today.
Briefly put, foreign policy is the way an organised society behaves, in the framework of a sovereign state to respond to its surrounding environment. It is the way in which societies would defend their real or perceived interests against an external world, the existence of which is also defined in the framework of national sovereignty as well as national and international organisations. In other words, foreign policy straddles political, security, economic and legal spheres. And to the extent that the state is the main functionary of foreign policy, it inevitably presupposes the existence of a state that has the intention and ability to defend its national interests.
From an analytical angle, foreign policy is based on three suppositions: firstly, that it constitutes a states reaction to external factors; secondly, that it represents the interaction between the internal and external factors; and thirdly, that represents not just in the opinion of the government but also of a reasonable multitude outside the government.
Since the late 20th century, the area of foreign and international policy has seen much transformation; players have changed and the role and freedoms of national states in determining foreign policy parameters have decreased. Nonetheless, the state’s role as the primary actor in foreign policy is still undisputed. More...
