Foreign policy and public opinion in West Germany

The article describes the main approaches to the analysis of German foreign policy and summarizes its research results. Subsequently, it deals with the perceptions of foreign and international policy issues by German public opinion and with the impact it has had on the outcome of general elections. The proposition is that a political party which stands for a policy compatible with the main trends of international affairs will enjoy a "compatibility bonus".Link Werner. Foreign policy and public opinion in West Germany. Research trends and perspectives. In: Opinion publique et politique extérieure en Europe. III. 1940-1981. Actes du colloque de Rome (17-20 février 1982) Rome : École Française de Rome, 1985. pp. 3-9. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 54-3