Date of Graduation

Spring 5-23-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Global Studies

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Global Studies

First Advisor

N. Bruce Pickering

Second Advisor

Nora Fisher-Onar

Abstract

This study analyzes the role which managerial level U.S. military Foreign Area Officers and Foreign Service Officers play in shaping and implementing U.S. foreign policy. By analyzing the individual professional at the middle-echelons of an organizational hierarchy, we make an effort in dispelling ourselves from obscured perceptions of IR centered on character and state idealization driven narratives. Doing this may help bridge the foundational gap between academics and practitioners while shifting towards a paradigm of IR analysis focusing on human agency and decisions.

Result

Individual managerial echelon diplomats do not directly make policy, but rather play a crucial role in the analysis, advising, and execution of policy. However, the ability to analyze external inputs and formulate viable decisions across operational domains remains the core driver of foreign policy creation and execution. It is in this regard that diplomatic middle managers are the most rudimentary agents of foreign policy, as they are at the forefront of both its inception and execution.

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