The impact of geographic location on the foreign policy behavior of states. (c2002)

Abstract

The subject of my thesis is the impact of geographic location on the foreign policy of states. The foreign policy behavior of states is viewed as a result of a set of elements influencing that foreign policy behavior. Foreign policy does not operate in a vacuum; it is affected by the geographic environment, but also by many other factors called the national attributes of states. The national attributes comprise such variables as: size, geography, natural resources, military capacities, technology, and political system ... All these elements shape a state's foreign policy behavior. This study will present a perspective the focuses on one element of the national attributes theory that is geography as location, as being one factor accounting for foreign policy behavior. In this work, I will discuss the Middle East and more specifically, Egypt and Syria. I will study how historic events in foreign policy behavior are linked to the geographic environment in which both states exist. I will show how no matter what form of government has been instituted or what political leader may be in power, the foreign policy of a country has a natural tendency to the same general and fundamental alignments. So, in studying Egypt and Syria, the focus will be on location in an attempt to attend to the question of the extent to which geographic location has an impact of their foreign policy.