Foreign Policy Negotiations: A Three-Level Game
Robert Putnam has coined foreign policy to be a two-level game in the past. Diplomatic decision-making between states was based on two types of negotiations, one being between the states themselves and the other being between each state and its domestic constituency. Successful diplomacy is thereby contingent on the agreement between states and how each state mediates public opinion and interests back home. Example: Country A negotiates with Country B about a bi-lateral agreement. Diplomats from both country A and B lead the negotiations on a state-to-state level. Both states also communicate and manage public sentiment back home in order to receive buy in from the constituency. Negotiations are held on an intra-national and international level. David Faris in his article “ From the Age of Secrecy to the Age of Sharing: Social Media, Diplomacy and Statecraft in the 21 s t“ adds another level to the game. This third level is known as the Networked Elite – a mediating variable between pa