The Role of 'Worldview' in JDP's Foreign Policy in the Case of Mavi Marmara

Abstract

Worldview is a concept that has found a place for itself in many different sciences, especially philosophy. It is not totally adopted by political scientists and political psychologists yet, and its effects are generally referred as effects of personality in the decision making process in foreign policy making. Worldview can be described as one’s perception of the world, interpretation of reality and what him/her believes to be true. It is possible to link the concept with different levels of analysis and with many models developed to describe the decision making process. It may be seen in the individual-level analysis and state-level analysis and can be observed in the models of foreign policy decision making developed by Graham Allison, Irving Janis, and Barbara Kellerman. When these models are analysed, the impact of worldview of the decision-makers becomes clear in the decision making process.