Governance in German Foreign Policy

Theories of Foreign Policy so far have mostly been focusing on either the outcome-side (e.g. Realism) or the input-side (e.g. Liberalism) of Foreign Policy. Approaches that recognize both sides tend to treat governments as gatekeepers between two levels (two-level approaches), who are constrained in their decision-making through other national and international actors. However, the widely acclaimed shift from traditional forms of government to horizontal arrangements of governance also has a significant impact on Foreign Policy. Therefore, the distinction between domestic and international roots of Foreign Policy becomes blurred. Governance approaches so far, however, either focused entirely on domestic politics (e.g. Benz and Dose 2010, Kooiman 2003) or put their emphasis predominantly on the international outcome of Foreign Policy (e.g. Daase and Friesendorf 2010, Bryden and Hänggi 2005). Few has been written about the complete process of governance (but see Brozus et al. 2003), especially in countries like Germany. Hence, how is this process structured and what are the implications for Foreign Policy Analysis? In order to fully explain the impact of non-state actors in this context, input- and output-side need to be incorporated into the analysis by treating governments not as decisive actor in the middle, but rather as one among many. In Foreign Policy Governance (FPG) non-state actors are integrated into the policy-making process by which Foreign Policy becomes a horizontal structure without a stage in between. Rather, many actors participate in this process starting from domestic politics and reaching unto the international sphere. This approach is illustrated by analyzing current German FPG in development and broadened security politics with a focus on the role of NGOs. The case study is concentrating on speeches and policy documents as well as on their practical implementation in governmental structures and governance arrangements.