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Negotiating Foreign and Security Policy at the “Heart of Society”? Evidence from Germany

Democracy
Foreign Policy
Political Participation
Security
Knowledge
Critical Theory
Christian Opitz
Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Armed Forces Hamburg
Anna Geis
Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Armed Forces Hamburg
Christian Opitz
Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Armed Forces Hamburg
Hanna Pfeifer
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt

Abstract

Foreign and security policy has long been considered as a prerogative of the executive in democratic systems. Traditionally, the executive is suspected to have little interest in forms of participation that reach beyond the legally required processes of representative democracy. However, recent developments may indicate a change: citizens are increasingly included in deliberation and decision-making processes even in foreign and security policy (FSP). The proposed paper will present preliminary results from an empirical investigation of several processes of civic participation initiated by the German Federal Foreign Office since 2014 (Review 2014, PeaceLab 2016, Citizens’ Workshops, Welches Europa wollen wir? and Außenpolitik live). It will answer the following questions: How are citizens integrated in the knowledge production in the field of FSP? Is the engagement with their positions meaningful in the sense that it has an impact on decision-making? Or are these processes rather an attempt to “transfer” knowledge to the citizens with the purpose of legitimising decisions in FSP? The paper proceeds in three steps. First, it positions itself in the field of deliberative democratic theory and characterises the FSP as a “special case” in which knowledge production has hitherto been reserved for elites. Against this background, the second part starts from the question why civic participation has been initiated in German FSP. Based on interviews, participant observation and ministerial documentation, it analyses the above-mentioned processes with regard to motivation, processes and results. The third part contrasts the case of the Federal Foreign Office with civic participation in the field of environment, energy and climate change as executed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The comparison allows us to critically discuss the FSP elites’ understanding of the role of citizens in the production of knowledge and policy formulation.