Assessing the Conceptual “Goodness” of Geographic Mental Maps for Foreign Policy Analysis

Abstract

Geographic mental maps have been called on numerous times in explaining foreign policy decisions. However, mental maps lack a serious conceptualising endeavour in order to be useful to scientific inquiry. Before we can use mental maps to understand and compare foreign policy making processes we must define mental maps and frame them in their wider intellectual context. In this paper we develop geographic mental maps as an analytical concept and assess their conceptual “goodness” so they can contribute to enriching the scope of the foreign policy analysis toolbox.