{"product_id":"painful-choices-a-theory-of-foreign-policy-change-9780691123400","title":"Painful Choices: A Theory of Foreign Policy Change","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): David a. Welch\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: International Relations - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnder what conditions should we expect states to do things radically differently all of a sudden? In this book, David Welch seeks to answer this question, constructing a theory of foreign policy change inspired by organization theory, cognitive and motivational psychology, and prospect theory. He then \"test drives\" the theory in a series of comparative case studies in the security and trade domains: Argentina's decision to go to war over the Falklands\/Malvinas vs. Japan's endless patience with diplomacy in its conflict with Russia over the Northern Territories; America's decision to commit large-scale military force to Vietnam vs. its ultimate decision to withdraw; and Canada's two abortive flirtations with free trade with the United States in 1911 and 1948 vs. its embrace of free trade in the late 1980s. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePainful Choices\u003c\/i\u003e has three main objectives: to determine whether the general theory project in the field of international relations can be redeemed, given disappointment with previous attempts; to reflect on what this reveals about the possibilities and limits of general theory; and to inform policy. Welch argues that earlier efforts at general theory erred by aiming to explain state \u003ci\u003ebehavior\u003c\/i\u003e, which is an intractable problem. Instead, since inertia is the default expectation in international politics, all we need do is to explain \u003ci\u003echanges\u003c\/i\u003e in behavior. \u003ci\u003ePainful Choices\u003c\/i\u003e shows that this is a tractable problem with clear implications for intelligence analysts and negotiators.","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47781014798487,"sku":"9780691123400","price":7838.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780691123400.webp?v=1778049891","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/painful-choices-a-theory-of-foreign-policy-change-9780691123400","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}