The impact of public opinion on foreign policy : a case-study of Malta's accession to the European Union

Abstract

Comprehending the role that public opinion plays in foreign policymaking has long provoked fascination and frustration. Studies of this nexus have concentrated mainly around American foreign policy. This thesis attempts to explore the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy in Malta. Taking as a case-study Malta'saccession to the European Union, it argues and demonstrates that public opinion constrained but did not set Maltese foreign policy towards the European Union. The public's attitudes set the parameters within which policymakers operated. The study uses a simple but powerful methodology. It attempts to determine how public opinion affected the decision-making of the top policy-makers in the respective administrations by showing whether they demonstrated awareness of and indicated an impact of public opinion on their decisions. It uses their own words, typically in public statements as prima facie evidence. It evaluates carefully the relationship between public opinion and foreign policy at key benchmarks in the long road which brought Malta to the European fold. But it revisits what is arrived at through the rich data uncovered in polls and policy-makers' statements by extensive interviews with three key policymakers which shed further light on their interpretation of how this intricate relationship between public opinion and foreign policy functions. The concluding statements stem from the implications of the knowledge that public opinion in Malta demands and asserts for itself a role in foreign policy making. The study suggests a more structured approach to the relationship to enhance the process in a more democratic and effective direction.