Balancing domestic and foreign policies

Politicians and diplomats may consider geopolitics and strategic considerations as the most important factors in shaping a country’s foreign policy. However, it is the political leaders who make foreign policy; and, for them, domestic politics is the most critical basis for shaping their international policies.

This is true for countries like the Philippines; and, is also true for great powers like the United States and China. The Philippine government is aiming to achieve a complex domestic agenda which includes inclusive economic growth; eliminating drugs; ensuring public safety from terrorist threats; and, negotiating peace agreements with longstanding rebel groups. Within this framework, the Philippines must contend with an aggressive China at its doorstep – in the South China Sea and the Scarborough Shoals. It is also important to ensure that there is a balance of power in the region. This means that the Philippines must maintain strong relationships with the United States and Japan while negotiating with China.

There are times it may be difficult to see where foreign policy ends and domestic politics begins. One clear example is the situation in the Scarborough Shoals. China has continued to claim this area as part of its sovereign territory. It has continued to prevent Filipino fishermen from fishing in this area. It would not be surprising if the Filipino fishermen will bring their plight to their local mayors who will then plead with the President to find a way to alleviate the situation. This is an example where domestic politics is intertwined with an international issue.

For diplomats, academics and international experts, the Arbitral Tribunal ruling is a matter of international law and sovereign rights. But for the Filipino fishermen this is a matter of livelihood which they expect local politicians to immediately address.

The United States and China are also examples where the domestic political environment shapes the framework of decision making in its foreign policies. The Iraq invasion by the United States was an obvious result of domestic politics.

After the terrorist acts that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City, the Bush government was pressured, by the American public, to go on the offensive against the perceived leaders of the terrorist acts. Even respected statesmen like then Secretary Colin Powell and NSC head Condolezza Rice had to publicly push for an invasion based on the flimsy excuse that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Obama was elected President partly on the promise that he would pull out American troops from fighting in the Middle East. The loss of thousands of lives had turned the American public against the invasion. Today, the Obama administration is caught in a political trap. The American voting public is not prepared to see thousands of lives again sacrificed in another war. However, the same public wants the Obama government to take steps to ensure the destruction of ISIS which has been the cause of terrorism worldwide. The result is that the government has been accused of taking half measures and it really has no strategy on how to deal with ISIS. Donald Trump has seized the opportunity to accuse the Democratic administration of lacking the will and the leadership to deal with “radical Islamic terrorism.”

It is the same domestic political environment that has made both Democrats and Republicans publicly oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement which would have been a major step in promoting world trade.

Human rights has been a cornerstone of American policy under Democratic Party administrations. A major reason is because the overwhelming majority of liberal or progressive academicians and intellectuals belong to this party. The Democratic Party also includes the broad spectrum of all the human rights movements – women, cultural minorities, African Americans, gay and lesbian, labor – in the history of the United States. Every Democratic leader, including Obama, is expected to be a proponent of human rights all over the world. If Hillary Clinton becomes president, this American foreign policy is expected to continue.

The case of China is different in the sense that the main goal is to preserve the monopoly of political power by the Communist Party. In order to ensure this goal, the government must stifle all opposition and, at the same time, satisfy the economic and material goals of its citizenry. The Chinese leaders are, therefore, more concerned about achieving domestic agendas than seeking international acceptability.

China’s jingoistic stance in the South China Sea is influenced more by satisfying nationalist sentiments among its people than by any geopolitical agenda. A century of a weak China being exploited by foreign powers has made China’s rise to superpower status as its redress for past humiliations. A long and bloody war with Japan has also continued to serve as a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to developing any relationship of trust between the two peoples.

It can be assumed that China will not view human rights as part of its foreign policy framework because the Communist Party, in fact, consider human rights groups as threats to its political dominance. On the other hand, the United States, especially the Democratic Party must continue to advocate democracy and human rights because there is a large constituency, in the party, that expects this advocacy. The present Philippine government may, however, interpret this criticism of human rights violations as interference in a purely domestic matter.

International diplomacy is a delicate balancing act between domestic politics and the international agendas of the nation. It is an art that every national leader must learn because the consequences may either benefit or harm an entire people.

Creative writing classes

a.) Young Writers’ Hangout for Kids & Teens: September 10 (10am-12nn), September 17 (1:30-3pm)

b.) Fiction Writing for Adults with Menchu A. Sarmiento: October 8 (1:30-5:30pm)

Classes at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. For registration and fee details text 0917-6240196 or email writethingsph@gmail.com.

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