Introduction
In his campaign for the elections of the German federal parliament Bundestag in October 2002, Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder turned in public against a war with the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. He refused sending troops to the Middle East in case of an attack through an international alliance, led by the United States of America. Together with the president of France, Jacques Chirac, he tried to convince the countries of the world, not to participate in such a war. Both countries wanted to form an alliance ag ainst the politics of US -president George W. Bush.
This research paper examines the public policy of the Germ an federal government concerning the Iraq cris is from August 2002 to March 2003. Therefore it will app ly the theories studied in the Vesalius College co urse “Com parative European Public Policy Analysis”. In the first step the research paper describes very detailed the circumstances under which the policy was deve loped, what it contained and how it changed. It is looking at the time frame, involved institutions and the target groups of the policy. After this com prehensive outline of the public policy the research papers exam ines every aspect of it using the Policy Cycle Approach from the book Studying Public Policy of Michael Howlett and Michael Ramesh.
To reconstruct the policy of the Germ an gove rnment the author uses especially articles published in the media, because there are no monographies published already on this topic.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1. POLICY DESCRIPTION
2. THE POLICY CYCLE THEORY
2.1 AGENDA SETTING
2.2 POLICY FORMULATION
2.3 DECISION MAKING
2.4 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
2.5 EVALUATION
3. CONCLUSION
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this research paper is to examine the public policy of the German federal government regarding the Iraq crisis between August 2002 and March 2003, specifically applying the "Policy Cycle Approach" to analyze its development, implementation, and outcomes.
- The historical context of German foreign policy during the Iraq crisis.
- Application of the Policy Cycle theory to assess its fit for foreign policy analysis.
- Examination of agenda-setting, policy formulation, and decision-making processes.
- The role of the German government and the impact of the electoral campaign on policy direction.
- Critical evaluation of the policy outcomes concerning diplomatic goals and international reputation.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Policy Description
Since the Second Gulf War in 1991 Iraq was controlled by the international community, in particular through the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was permanently checking suspicious buildings for finding weapons of mass destruction. In the time between the end of Operation Desert Storm and 9/11 in 2001 media did not report very much about Iraq and its authoritarian regime under dictator Saddam Hussein any more.
But with the terrorist attacks against the United States also Saddam came back on the agenda again. Conservative thinkers in Washington had waited a long time to find a reason to overthrow the regime in Baghdad. They already tried under President Bill Clinton (Massarrat 2003, pp. 31 – 35). Now they found the right situation: The conservative President George W. Bush and the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City.
So after the war in Afghanistan in winter 2001 Iraq was big in the news again. The administration under George W. Bush threatened Saddam Hussein and his regime openly, because they were blockading a functioning collaboration with the IAEA. Already in summer 2002 it became very clear, that Bush wanted to turn from threats into action.
During the same time the electoral campaigns in Germany started. And the federal government of Germany, led by the social-democrat Gerhard Schröder, decided to put the item “Iraq crisis” on its government agenda (Der Spiegel 33/2003, p. 27). He made his point and the following public policy of the government very clear: Germany will neither take part nor support an “adventure” in the Middle East (Der Spiegel 36/2002, p. 21). He refused sending troops or supporting the United States with money – like Germany did in the Second Gulf War – in case of an attack on Iraq through the States. Schröder hit the point: Most of the German people supported him in his opinion and his social-democratic party was able to gain more sympathy among the citizens than before.
Chapter Summaries
INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the research topic, providing context regarding Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's opposition to the Iraq war and the methodological approach using the Policy Cycle framework.
1. POLICY DESCRIPTION: This chapter outlines the historical and political context leading up to the Iraq crisis, detailing how the government made the "Iraq crisis" a central issue during the 2002 German electoral campaign.
2. THE POLICY CYCLE THEORY: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework used for the analysis, which segments public policy into five distinct stages: agenda setting, formulation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation.
2.1 AGENDA SETTING: This chapter evaluates how the issue of the Iraq crisis arrived on the government's agenda, testing the Pluralist Approach against Kingdon's Multiple Streams theory.
2.2 POLICY FORMULATION: This chapter examines the definition and evaluation of policy options, contrasting the competitive political nature of formulation with a technical-rational assessment of the government's stance.
2.3 DECISION MAKING: This chapter analyzes the decision-making process behind the German government's opposition to the war, concluding that standard rational, incremental, and irrational models do not fully capture the political dynamics involved.
2.4 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION: This chapter explores how the policy was put into action, noting the specific role of the "Auswärtiges Amt" and why top-bottom implementation theories apply better to foreign policy than other models.
2.5 EVALUATION: This chapter assesses the effectiveness of the policy, measuring its success in domestic political terms versus the failure to prevent the outbreak of war in Iraq.
3. CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the research findings, highlighting the limitations of the Policy Cycle Approach when applied to foreign policy and suggesting a need for more flexible theoretical frameworks.
Keywords
Iraq War, German Government, Gerhard Schröder, Public Policy, Policy Cycle Theory, Agenda Setting, Policy Formulation, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, United States, Political Evaluation, International Relations, Security Council, Electoral Campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the public policy adopted by the German federal government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder regarding the Iraq crisis between 2002 and 2003.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
Key areas include the application of the Policy Cycle theory to foreign policy, the influence of domestic electoral campaigns on international positioning, and the diplomatic interactions between Germany, France, and the United States.
What is the central research question?
The research evaluates whether the standard "Policy Cycle Approach" can effectively explain and analyze the development and outcomes of the German government's foreign policy during the Iraq conflict.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author uses a qualitative case study approach, applying the theoretical stages defined in the book "Studying Public Policy" by Howlett and Ramesh to the specific events of the Iraq crisis.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body breaks down the German government’s response through the five stages of the policy cycle—agenda setting, formulation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation—while contrasting theoretical expectations with political reality.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Core keywords include Iraq War, German foreign policy, Gerhard Schröder, Policy Cycle Theory, diplomacy, and international relations.
Why did the author conclude that the Policy Cycle theory has limitations here?
The author finds that because foreign policy is often centralized and driven by high-level political leadership, the standard stages (such as competitive agenda setting or incremental decision-making) do not perfectly account for the swift, top-down nature of the government's crisis response.
How did the 2002 elections influence the policy?
The elections provided a political platform for the government to clearly define its stance against the war, which resonated with the electorate and helped the coalition government retain power, transitioning from a passive to an active diplomatic stance afterward.
What does the evaluation phase reveal about the policy's success?
The evaluation concludes that while the policy was highly successful in terms of domestic political support and increasing Germany's international reputation, it failed in its primary stated goal: preventing the outbreak of the Iraq war.
- Citation du texte
- Christian Pfeiffer (Auteur), 2005, The Public Policy of the German Government on the Iraq War, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/38170
