events, including war and peace, as well as international policies. For example, Srdja
Popovic, a Serb activist and founder of CANVAS, the Centre for Applied Nonvio-
lent Action and Strategies, has trained revolutionaries in 46 countries, including
Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Egypt. And Wangari Maathai, the late Kenyan envi-
ronmentalist, founded the Green Belt Movement, which promotes environmental
management. In this chapter, we explore the vari ous roles both public and private
individuals play in international relations.
Learning Objectives■ Describe which individuals matter most in international relations.
■ Analyze what psychological factors have an impact on elite foreign policy
decision making.
■ Describe the roles private individuals play in international relations.
■ Explain the roles mass publics play in foreign policy.
■ Analyze how much individuals matter, according to the vari ous theoretical
perspectives.Foreign Policy elites: individuals
Who Matter
Do individuals who occupy official positions make a difference in the formation of
foreign policy? How much of a difference do individuals make? The extent to which
individuals matter differs by international relations theories. Liberals recognize
that leaders do make a difference and individuals may be an appropriate level of
analy sis. Whenever a leadership change happens in a major power such as the
United States, China, or Rus sia, speculation always arises about pos si ble changes
in the country’s foreign policy. This speculation reflects the general belief that indi-
vidual leaders and their personal characteristics do make a difference in foreign
policy, and hence, in international relations. Ample empirical proof exists for this
position.
182 CHAPTER SIx ■ t he individuaL