This booklet aims to introduce the concept of political decision-making and the factors influencing it. The book has been divided into an introduction, ten sections, and a conclusion. The first section of the study is entitled: “The Concept of Decision and Decision-Making.” In this section, the author discusses the linguistic and terminological meaning of decision, in addition to the specific concept of political decision, followed by the concept of political decision-making and the different approaches related to it. The second section discusses the foundations of political decision-making, which are the elements that must be available in order to reach a sound and correct decision, such as: the situation, information, time, the scientific method, and the decision-maker. The third section addresses the types of political decisions and the criteria according to which political decisions are classified. Decisions are classified according to their objectives, their fields of interest, or their scope. This section explains all these criteria and the types that fall under each criterion. The fourth section discusses the stages of political decision-making, represented by the political situation and its recognition by the decision-maker, followed by its identification or definition, collecting related information, classifying and analyzing it, developing alternatives, choosing among them, then making the decision, implementing it, and monitoring it. The fifth section discusses decision-making institutions and the parties influencing them. It addresses the formal institutions responsible for making political decisions, as well as informal institutions that have increasingly contributed, in various ways, to the process of political decision-making. It also discusses political decision-making units and their different forms. The sixth section examines the factors affecting decision-making in terms of its form and quality. These include various factors related to the decision-making apparatus, the nature of the problem under consideration, or the social, political, and economic framework in which the decision will be made. It also addresses military, cultural, and ideological factors that influence the political decision-making process in one way or another. The seventh section explains and clarifies the most important difficulties that may face the political decision-maker and lead to a lack of clarity in vision, and consequently an inability to control the elements of the environment in which the decision will be implemented. The eighth section discusses the most important methods of making and taking decisions, such as the Solution Selection Matrix, the Decision Tree method, and the Fish Bone Diagram. Finally, the ninth section discusses the process of decision-making in the field of foreign policy due to the differences in the decision-making environment between domestic and foreign policy fields, and because of the complexity and interconnectedness involved in making foreign policy. The study concludes with a conclusion summarizing the most important points presented in the study. Baland Dalir Shawis 22-1