Methodological Obstacles to the Application of Rational Actor Model in Foreign Policy Decision-Making

The study of decision-making in foreign policy is the first step to understnding the meaning and complexity of the actions in the international system. The discussion of what the rational and irrational decisions are, have so far raused numerous intellectual debates in the international relations. Some scholars focus and insist on the definition of rational decisions while others list what irrational decison are. Regardless of the above debate, this study aims to address the constraints and obstacles of the realization of the ideal type of rational decision-making in foreign policy. The research question is about the assumptions of rational model decision-making in foreign policy methodologicaly in practice. In response to the above question, relying on the documentary method of collecting data and applying analytical method, the author believes that the rational model in the the methodological aspect has three kinds of constraints including environmental barriers, cognitive, and emotional and Nervous ones.