Foreign policy strategy: main approaches to the definition of the concept and its scientific potential

The analysis and study of foreign policy activities in modern conditions are associated with a wide pluralism of scientific approaches, in which the main attention is focused on factors of various nature, as well as a variety of interpretations of common key concepts, one of which is “foreign policy strategy”. An analysis of the practice of using the concept of “foreign policy strategy” reveals two approaches to its definition. In the first approach, the strategy is considered as a plan or concept of action, in the second – as a purposeful activity. Within the framework of the second approach, which seems to be more productive and promising, as well as corresponding to the national scientific tradition, the author’s version of the definition of this concept and its correlation with such definitions as “foreign policy course”, “foreign policy program” is proposed. The main content of the foreign policy strategy is revealed through the categories of “goals” and “means”, which provides additional opportunities for the study of foreign policy activities, the description and classification of its various forms, and also helps to reduce the diversity of definitions and their interpretations.