Frank Summers

Foreign Policy and What it Really Signifies - The term foreign policy no longer completely covers the nuances of international relations to which it owes its existence. As a growing global community made up of multi-cultural nations, the world today may still consist of separate and distinct nations; however, with globalization and transnational relations spearheading common interests among nations in certain regions in the globe, such as APEC, foreign policy seems to be rapidly evolving toward creating a multi-national (as opposed to foreign) policy which at times may run in conflict with a particular nation’s vested interests.

Ordinarily, the idea of foreign policy is to protect and advance the self-interest of a nation vis-a-vis other nations. Cooperation and bi-lateral and multi-lateral accords are entered into with the end in view of promoting those interests while giving in to those of other nations’ interests as much as possible. The delicate balance that many nations have to maintain within the volatile political, social and economic milieu of the real world cannot be sacrificed in favour of one or two nation’s imposing their will upon others.