Week 2

This week we discussed how the formation of foreign policy is a process of multiple actors with multiple interests dealing with multiple issues. In order to make sense of what is going on, we need to figure out who are the actors, what are their interests, and what are opportunities and constraints in reaching these interests. In order to better understand this, we use a three dimensional xyz chart. Time is on the x axis, events are on the y axis, and actors are on the z axis. The chart has more than one intersection at any given time. There are lots of events leading up to other events, with multiple actors who are not autonomous. we must also understand that there are a lot of other events going on simultaneously. We then discussed different systematic theories of mass media. Among these models are the sender-receiver model, the opinion leader model, and finally, the plate of spaghetti / LA freeway model. The next class, we examined two stories in different media sources and compared the summary, placement, framing, time, context, depth actors and interests. I felt that this exercise was very useful in helping me to find subtleties between news sources that i would otherwise overlook.

1. Are there any other models or theories that attempt to explain the flow of information?
2. What happens when decision makers don't take into account the implications of the x,y,z chart depicting time, events, and actors?

2. When decision makers fail to take into account that multiple actor and multiple events are occurring simultaneously at any point in time, disastrous things will occur. Any attempt to create foreign policy in this manner will result in occurrences that no one had the foresight to predict. By taking into account this model, you at least acknowledge that the future is dependent on the outcomes of these events and the actors behind them.