Domestic politics and foreign affairs
What is the relation between domestic politics and foreign affairs? Keep on watching, and you’ll find it out.
Introduction
Today, I want to speak to you about the relationship between two different realms in politics. Authors and scholars have dismissed this interconnection despite its existence. Probably, several reasons explain this situation. However, the common assumption of separating the internal and external spheres, and considering them as watertight compartments might be the most plausible. In any case, it happens to be a misleading notion of these two realms.
Although I spoke about the connection between international and domestic politics in another episode, on this occasion, I want to focus on the broader concept of foreign affairs.
Besides, I’m interested in addressing the interrelation of both realms.
The distinction between domestic politics and foreign affairs
I want to start with some remarks on what makes the distinction between the internal and external realm possible. The Westphalian order set the legal framework for this distinction, but it has its antecedents in the late Middle Age. The territorialization of political units by the establishment of borders turned out to be crucial. Geopolitical competition in Western Europe developed through wars, arms races, and other conflicts. The peace treaties and the periodical redistribution of land contributed critically to the transformation of Western States. In this way, the existence of borders that limit each State jurisdiction became a tipping point to make that difference between domestic politics and the international sphere.
The institution of borders that require mutual recognition determined the birth of domestic and international politics. The realist approach in IR considers this innovation a fundamental distinction to understand the different ways both domains work. However, realists believe these realms have different rules. In the domestic sphere, an authority has the exclusive right to rule a territory and its inhabitants. There is a clear order with institutions that enforce the law and make life possible, as well as protects property and creates the conditions for a peaceful living. That contrasts with the external realm in which relations between countries follow different rules. That is due to the absence of any superior authority to regulate them. The anarchic character of this sphere is decisive to understand how international relations work in the realist view. However, this intellectual school dismisses any connection between both domains because their rules are entirely different. I can’t deny they’re right on this, rules in both fields are different, but it doesn’t mean there is no connection between them.
The influence of foreign affairs in domestic politics
On the contrary, foreign affairs have a real impact on the national politics of every country. Before moving on, let’s remember the meaning of this concept. As a result of the appearance of borders and the separation of the internal and external domains, foreign affairs became those interactions between sovereign States. More specifically, we can say that foreign affairs became the management of relationships and dealings between countries.
So, when States deal with their relations with other countries, or they only run their businesses in the external sphere, we’re talking about foreign affairs because they belong to a domain that is beyond the national jurisdiction of the State. However, this domain has more relevance than many people admit.
The international competition plays a fundamental role in foreign affairs, and that has consequences in domestic politics. We shouldn’t overlook that this competition is a permanent struggle for power to stay alive. Every State looks for its security, and that entails a continuous adaptation to those challenges the international stage poses to each country.
Insofar as the international realm is anarchic, and its organization depends on States’ interactions, we have to pay attention to the way these relations work. In this regard, I have to stress that the national capabilities of every State determine its status in global politics, and how it manages its foreign affairs to preserve its national interest and survive in the long run. The power hierarchy plays a decisive role in all of this because it limits every State’s possibilities. At the same time, it is the result of the unequal distribution of national capacities. So, every State has to deal with this context of rivalries, hostilities, and power relations. That means to adapt its domestic politics to the dynamic external environment. For this reason, foreign affairs have strategic importance in the internal domain of any State because they critically affect its national security.
Although it may sound a cutting-edge statement, we can claim that foreign affairs decisively influence domestic politics. Indeed it boosts the adaptation to the challenges the State finds in the international realm. The mobilization of resources and the reform of the constitutional order to adjust it to the needs of the global stage are the consequence of this process. It’s more usual than we think the development of new institutions and political structures to ensure national security in the international sphere. That is due to the pressures of the external environment.
This dynamic has a real impact on domestic politics at all levels because it affects the existence of the State. Every State distrusts each other, and they all try to take advantage of their rivals to gain more relative power and destroy or subdue their enemies. For this reason, we see how changes in domestic politics have an international dimension, and they aren’t just the consequence of internal dynamics. On the contrary, external dynamics in the management of foreign affairs develop through the State’s internal conditions, which implements changes to match external challenges.
Question of the day
Question of the day! How important are foreign affairs for you in your daily life? Post your opinion in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out.
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