Trade & ccedil; & otilde; s International and Pol & iacute; tica External- prospects S & oacute; rich
01/10/2005A scientifically valid study makes references to theories and methodologies accepted by the scientific community to which it is linked. Changes in the nature of the object or the scientific dynamics itself makes, sometimes, such affiliations encounter practical limitations. In the case of international relations, uncertainty about the limits of the(s) object(s) of study(s), added to the profound changes that the international system goes through and all the actors present in it, significantly increase this difficulty. In view of this, this chapter aims only at the development of specific theoretical discussions (more epistemological than properly ontological), having as central objective to identify some theoretical instruments that will be used during the elaboration of the case study. This path will be followed by allowing the treatment of certain hypotheses that will be, throughout work, understood as analytical premises.
"Se é possível falar de crise hoje em dia, this is, first of all, the crisis of references (ethics, aesthetic), the inability to assess events in an environment where appearances are against us. The growing imbalance between direct information and indirect information, result of the development of several means of communication, tends to favor all media information indiscriminately over information from the senses, making the effect of real seems to supplant immediate reality. The crisis of the great narratives that Lyotard talks about here denounces the effect of new technologies, que enfatizam mais os "meios" que os "fins" " (Virilio, 1993: 18).
Such reading is particularly important for the field of international relations. The breadth of the objects of analysis, added to the various theoretical perspectives, makes the amount of information available for a given empirical study to be particularly broad. In this sense, theories play an important role in determining the set of variables that should be considered in a given analysis. However, precisely because they are tools created, they are simplifications of reality that seek to explain a given phenomenon only and only within a situation pre-limited by premises and concepts. Two risks can arise from this way of organizing the analysis and must be constantly considered by the scientist: (1) tension between the real and the expected; (2) the type of clipping of the real can lead to loss of analytical capacity.
Such risks are mitigated by the presence of decision makers in academic circles, and vice versa, which forces an approximation between the two perspectives; and requests the development of case study analyzes that are also supported by the perceptions and positions of decision makers. Because of this, significant part of this work will be based on bibliography from authors who are, first of all, Decision makers, as well as in interviews with some of the actors involved throughout the process.
Responsibility, the pressure and temporality inherent in the different jobs (decision-making and analysis of decision-making) sometimes lead to different analytical perspectives. However, existem alguns fatores que são comuns a ambas perspectivas e que podem construir pontes comunicativas entre estes dois "mundos". According to George (2001), these are: (1) conceptualization of strategies; (2) general or generic knowledge; e (3) specific behavioral models for actors. These three categories encompass the minimum knowledge that both the analyst and the decision maker must have when carrying out their work.. It should be noted that this discussion has a utilitarian principle and is based on the idea that a theory about the decision-making process should be aimed primarily at assisting decision makers in their actions.
Following this reasoning, there is that the foreign policy decision-making process is something particular and cannot be treated as a consequence of a broader theoretical reading. That is, at the disposal of a minimum set of phenomena and data, this type of study is not sustainable in contrast to reality when it is based only on readings whose theoretical basis is the result of unique deduction processes from and data and premises developed for other types of problems. Thereby, perceptions like structural realism, rational choice and game theories are treated here marginally as they are deductive readings and, therefore, end up obscuring the broad decision-making process or even, sometimes, strategic interactions between states (George 2001), this because such phenomena are treated by supposition.
It is possible to analyze foreign policy from two major theoretical and methodological perspectives: (1) substantive theory, which deals with the great bases and strategies of foreign policy: e (2) process theory, that deals with the structures and administration of the policy formulation process. The development of this case study will be based on the second perspective. Thereby, it seeks to identify the process of formulating and implementing protectionist policies in the American steel industry under George W. Bush from an extended base: of the organizational movements of society itself (grass roots lobbying) decision making by the Executive Branch.
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Bibliography:
GEORGE, Alexander. Bridging the gap – theory& practice in foreign policy. United States Institute of Peace Press. Washington, 2001.
VIRILIO, Paul. The critical space – and real-time perspectives. Publishing company 34. Sao Paulo, 1993.
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Originalmente publicado em"Revista Autor (www.revistaautor.com.br)Special CNPqAno V – nº 45 / Mar & ccedil; the 2005