TitleU.S. Presidential Decisions on Ozone Depletion and Climate Change: A Foreign Policy Analysis
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsBelow, A
JournalFPA Foreign Policy Analysis
Volume4
Issue1
Pagination1 - 20
Date Published2008
ISBN Number1743-8586
Abstract

The overarching question this paper addresses is whether and, if so, to what extent can existing IR theories commonly associated with high politics decision making be applied to low politics issue areas, specifically international environmental policy. The paper serves to test poliheuristic theory against two case studies, The Montreal Protocol and The Kyoto Protocol, to assess its ability to explain the decision-making processes of four United States presidents. The paper concludes that poliheuristic theory adequately explains the presidents behavior in virtually all cases. It is especially effective in explaining the first phase of the decision-making process. The paper also suggests in the conclusion that a presidents environmentalness may affect his decision-making behavior in the first phase.