Coalition Politics & Peaceful Foreign Policy A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DUTCH DECISION-MAKING PROCESS WITH REGARD TO THE GULF CRISIS (1990-1991)

Abstract

On 2 August 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait. Four days later the Iraqi government announced that Kuwait had been annexed as the nineteenth province of Iraq. These actions precipitated an international crisis that culminated in a war led by the United States against Iraq in January and February 1991.

Why would states wage war against each other? And why wouldn’t they? This study is an attempt to fill an important gap in two distinct yet closely related theories: the democratic peace theory and coalition cabinet theories. On the general level, the study examines the influence of coalition party ideas on foreign policy. By looking at the Dutch decision-making process with regard to the Gulf crisis (1990-1991) this research will give interesting insights on how ideas shape foreign policy. Moreover, this research contains new information about the debates and the decision-making process with regard to the Gulf crisis in the Netherlands. It will be argued that ideas of parties in coalition governments play an important role in shaping peaceful foreign policy.