ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 identifies the deeply emotional and highly contradictory - opposing the Iraq war while making it possible - character of German foreign policy in the Iraq crisis of 2002–2003 as the research puzzle driving this book. This problem is situated within the deeper theoretical issues concerning discourse, affect, power and decisions. The chapter identifies the key debates to which this book contributes - German foreign policy, IR theory and discourse theory - and carves out the distinct contribution that is made possible by a Lacanian approach grounded in the Essex School of discourse theory.
