Involvement of Parliament in Foreign Policy, Deployment decisions, and International Treaty Ratification in the small state of Denmark

Foreign policy is usually conducted by the government but in a parliamentary democracy, the government needs to have at least the accept of parliament to stay in office. Furthermore, small states need to adapt to agendas set by larger powers. This increases the pressure for consensus in parliament over such issues. This paper studies the general involvement of opposition parties in foriegn policy decisions in the small country of Denmark, as well as decisions about troop deployment, and international treaties. The study builds on data collected about these decisions. It find a high level of consensus, and particulary so for the parties that form government from time to time. This is discussed theoretically.