POWER AND INFLUENCE IN FOREIGN-POLICY DECISION-MAKING - THE ROLE OF JUNIOR COALITION PARTNERS IN GERMAN AND ISRAELI FOREIGN-POLICY

The special characteristics of parliamentary systems and coalition pol itics play an important role in the foreign policy decision-making pro cess of Germany and Israel. Germany and Israel have seen continuous co alition rule-cabinets in which senior and junior partners share the po wer to govern. Junior parties in Israeli and German coalition cabinets have been able to convert their junior status into significant influe nce on key foreign policy decisions. What explains this influence! Thi s study investigates several alternative hypotheses for explaining var iation in junior party influence in eight important cases of foreign p olicy decision making in Germany and Israel. Through structured case s tudies, this research finds that the most important variables for expl aining junior party influence in these cases are the unity of the juni or and senior parties on the specific issue,junior party strategies of influence, and the locus of decision-making authority. Finally, sugge stions are offered regarding the investigation of other minority, or l ess powerful actors in the making of foreign policy.