POWER-POLITICS IN FOREIGN-POLICY - THE INFLUENCE OF BUREAUCRATIC MINORITIES

Scholars of foreign policy-making have concentrated on how the most po werful domestic actors influence foreign policy and have largely ignor ed the influence of less powerful, minority actors. This article argue s that bureaucratic minorities - subordinates and less powerful depart ments - can and do influence foreign policy. Despite the extensive sch olarship on bureaucratic politics and the central importance of 'power ' in the theory, we know little about the nature and effects of asymme trical power relations. Drawing from various research, this article pr oposes that bureaucratic minorities can adopt strategies based on rewa rds and costs, manipulation of decision procedures, and information to bypass or exploit their status to influence policy. The choice and ef fectiveness of these strategies may depend on whether or not the actor is a vertical minority (a subordinate influencing a superior) or a ho rizontal minority (a representative from a less powerful department in fluencing other departments). Further investigations of the conditions under which minority players have influence can be part of a much nee ded revival of the bureaucratic politics perspective on foreign policy -making.