The Use of U.S. Diplomatic Foreign Policy for Conflict Resolution

Beardsley, Kyle

Dudley, Rebecca

2023-10-03T13:35:22Z

2023-10-03T13:35:22Z

2023

Political Science

This dissertation examines U.S. diplomatic intervention for the purposes of conflict resolution. When are different diplomatic foreign policy tools used effectively? Understanding the effectiveness of U.S. diplomatic foreign policy in conflict resolution requires a multi-pronged approach that takes seriously the role of individual presidents, domestic political constraints and incentives, and the unique efficacy of different types of policy tools.

The dissertation uses an empirical approach, combining original observational data sources with survey results and supplementary illustrative case studies. I present the results of a survey of academic experts on the relationship between U.S. presidents and the foreign policy bureaucracy, demonstrating the variation across different administrations in the relationship and conduct of foreign affairs. I also collect and utilize an original dataset on U.S. diplomatic involvement in peace processes (U.S.D.I.P.P. data) in large-N statistical analyses of the president’s choices . A set of original survey experiments provide insight into how the public views foreign policy choices and outcomes. Finally, a set of cross-case comparisons and a case study of George Mitchell as the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland provide evidence for the efficacy of special envoys as a diplomatic tool.

I find that U.S. presidents’ relationship with the foreign policy bureaucracy shape their use of diplomacy for conflict resolution, and also find evidence that the president is motivated by the ability to claim credit for successes and avoid blame for failures. Results suggest that the public does differentially assign credit and blame to the president based on context. I also demonstrate the particular mechanism by which special envoys can be an effective tool of conflict diplomacy. Overall, the dissertation provides a clear picture of the relationship between the U.S. president and executive branch and the conduct of peacemaking. U.S. diplomatic intervention for the purposes of conflict resolution is shaped by the relationship between the president and the foreign policy bureaucracy as well as the president's ability to claim personal political credit and avoid blame for policy failures. This incentive structure also maps onto the specific efficacy of diplomatic foreign policy tools, such as the use of special envoys.

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/29107

Political science

Public policy

conflict resolution

Diplomacy

Intervention

special envoy

U.S. foreign policy

The Use of U.S. Diplomatic Foreign Policy for Conflict Resolution

Dissertation