In seeking to test the conventional wisdom that foreign ministries are
'in decline', the contributors to this book examine the role and status
of foreign ministries in twelve countries together with their place
within the European Union. Valuable information on the response of the
foreign policy machinery to change at both the domestic and
international levels is provided as are important insights into the
linkages between foreign policy and the mechanisms through which it is
conducted. This book will be essential reading for those concerned with
foreign policy-making in the post-Cold War era as well as those
interested in the evolving machinery of government in its broader
context.