The Evolution of Operational Code Analysis

Abstract

Operational code analysis has evolved from a classic work by Nathan Leites, A Study of Bolshevism (1953), in which he first analyzed the operational code of the Politburo as a mix of cognitive heuristics and characterological personality traits that influenced Soviet decision making. Alexander George and Ole Holsti then isolated the cognitive aspects of the operational code construct and conceptualized them as a typology of political belief systems. Other scholars have applied this typology to explain the link between the beliefs and behavior of American foreign policymakers. The mixed results from these efforts have led to a revival of interest in the relationship between the cognitive and the characterological dimensions of operational code analysis. The aim of contemporary operational code analysis is a theoretical synthesis of the cognitive and affective influences upon foreign policy decisions identified by middle-range cognitive and motivational theories of political psychology.