As a content analysis instrument, Operational Code Analysis (OCA) serves as a tool for explaining and forecasting the perceptions of elites and hence their behavior in foreign policy as well. From a methodological perspective, the types of documents analyzed bear a challenge. Despite a long-lasting debate about the significance of spontaneous (e.g. interview) versus prepared material (e.g. speech) for the results of an OCA, only few studies have tested this “type-effect” empirically. Analyzing former US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s perceptions and behavior in the run-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, this paper is a contribution to close this research gap. The case study will show that for most tested indicators, no statistical evidence can be found to support the thesis of a difference between the analysis of interviews and speeches. Moreover, Colin L. Powell’s Operational Code matches the norming group which supports these findings.
