Description
The international relations system, which has been in a state of flux since 1991, has intensified the rise of elements on both the structural and agent levels which require consideration. This explains a period of intense transition, where transformational forces have emerged that challenge conventional approaches to understanding foreign policy and International Relations; by blurring the line that traditionally separates the two disciplines. This is particularly interesting in cases such as the Middle Eastern region. Thus, the paper identifies (and operationalizes) four critical elements as pillars and explains how they impact on the study of foreign policy and IR, at least in the context of the Middle East. The impact emerging elements – as significant materials for the theorisation of International Relations (IR) discipline – have on foreign policy explains the need for a novel epistemology and asserts that, although traditional patterns of foreign policy continue to exist, they do so in a state of transition. Therefore, the effect of such forces has been sufficient to necessitate and justify a re-evaluation of how we think about the relationship between foreign policy and IR and the distinction between the two. The paper uses examples drawn from the study of the Middle East to shed light on broader theoretical themes.
