Political Parties and Foreign Policy in Finland

Abstract

In the discussion on parliamentarizing foreign policy making in Finland the role of political parties and public opinion has not been essential and central topics. The aim of this article is therefore to penetrate deeper into the process of foreign policy making and illuminate developments on the level of political parties and public opinion which are quite crucial for the foreign policy of the country. As well as an empirical descrip tion of the role of political parties and public opinion there is also an effort to open up for more general theoretical discussion how to relate to this level of foreign policy making. It is argued that public opinion can be regarded as a basic resource of the foreign policy of a small country. Innovation on a theoretical level might well be the key to further developments reforming the foreign policy making system.