The decision makers of the French foreign policy under the fifth republic constitution

Abstract

The study sheds light on the official entities and influencers in foreign decisionmaking, and the management of French foreign policy under the semi-presidential system that emerged according to the Constitution of the Fifth Republic. The political system is one of the main determinants of foreign policy. The study aims at determining the role of the main institutions in making French foreign policy based on the powers conferred by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic issued on November 4, 1958. The study clarifies the nature of the functions of the institutions of the French political system and their role in foreign policy in accordance with the powers granted by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic. The study was divided into an introduction, five topics, and the most important conclusions that were reached by the research. The introduction dealt with the reasons for the birth of the French Fifth Republic, and the nature of its political system. The topics explained the official bodies influencing decision-making of the French foreign policy, namely, the President, the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Parliament, in addition to the presidential office represented by the General Secretariat.