Introduction

There can be little doubt today, at least among historians, that in explaining the behaviour of states on the international scene domestic politics may only be ignored at the analyst’s peril. Even if the external context is taken as a starting point, an enquiry into the causes of foreign policy behaviour is simply bound to stumble upon the domestic considerations of international actors. Then it is a matter of considered judgement to determine how the interplay of internal and external factors shaped the specific outcome.2