The Relevance of Ideology. This chapter is based on the working hypothesis that ideology leads to general goals in foreign policy. And those general goals correspondingly lead to policy practice as manifested in speeches, acts, and statements. However, the impact of ideology, not just on foreign policy but on other types of policy as well, is inconclusive despite the finding that, for instance, it was ideological leadership that mobilized popular followers in the French, Russian, and Iranian social revolutions (Skocpol 1994, 15). It is important to note the claim of ideology playing a role in foreign policy remains contested. Leaders are often categorized into ideologues, those who embrace ideology no matter what the political situation is, and pragmatists, those who transcend ideology and instead embrace the constant equation of power politics. Although widely acknowledged by historians, the assumptions that international power politics and rational considerations prevail and that leaders are able to transcend their ideologies are questionable (Best et al. 2004, 182). Ideology prevailed when it was intertwined with power during the international politics of the 19th century (Xxxxxxx 1969). Ideology in the analysis of international politics experienced an awakening during the 1960’s (Carlsnaes 1986) as Xxxxxx (1974, 69) elaborated as follows:
