Fractured States and Foreign Policy: A Neoclassical Realist Assessment of Ethiopia

The thesis examines foreign policy behaviour in fractured states, which is argued to be more complex than in unitary nation states. The argument will be based on an assessment of foreign policy making in Ethiopia. The study specifically tries to investigate the influence of Ethiopia’s unique ethnic federal system on foreign policy making. It does so by applying a Neoclassical Realist framework to illuminate the dynamics between the international system and the domestic political settlement in shaping foreign policy responses. By making use of this framework, complex relations can be pointed out. Concluding the paper finds that even though Ethiopia is highly fractured along institutionalized ethnic lines, the foreign policy behaviour is predominantly determined by elitist strategies for regime survival. Nonetheless, the political core elite makes use of ethnic undertones to mobilize resources in their interest and shape a preferable national narrative. It will be shown that foreign...Show moreThe thesis examines foreign policy behaviour in fractured states, which is argued to be more complex than in unitary nation states. The argument will be based on an assessment of foreign policy making in Ethiopia. The study specifically tries to investigate the influence of Ethiopia’s unique ethnic federal system on foreign policy making. It does so by applying a Neoclassical Realist framework to illuminate the dynamics between the international system and the domestic political settlement in shaping foreign policy responses. By making use of this framework, complex relations can be pointed out. Concluding the paper finds that even though Ethiopia is highly fractured along institutionalized ethnic lines, the foreign policy behaviour is predominantly determined by elitist strategies for regime survival. Nonetheless, the political core elite makes use of ethnic undertones to mobilize resources in their interest and shape a preferable national narrative. It will be shown that foreign policy and the national interest pursued are defined by the core elite to suit their strategies of regime survivalShow less

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Fractured States and Foreign Policy: A Neoclassical Realist Assessment of Ethiopia