Domestic Politics in Czech Foreign Policy: Between Consensus and Clash
Domestic Politics in Czech Foreign Policy: Between Consensus and Clash

Summary/Abstract: This article is an attempt to analyze the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy. In order to do so, four domestic factors relevant for foreign policy are identified and then defined with respect to the development after the 2006 parliamentary elections. It is argued that the foreign policy process is substantially molded by ideology of the relevant parties, by the ‘issue area’ involved, by the constitutional and institutional setting and by the interplay between the relevant actors. Focusing on these factors should allow us to grasp both the immediate changes in foreign policy resulting from domestic politics as well as to delineate a long term framework of which the foreign policy process unfolds. The article will conclude with an overview of the key foreign policy issues of the day, aiming to explore the link between the identified relevant domestic political factors and the actual foreign policy outcome.

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