Regularized Intergovernmentalism: France-Germany and Beyond (1963-2009)

Abstract

Regularized intergovernmentalism refers to a distinct kind of foreign policy practice that connects and intertwines foreign policy processes in particular ways. This paper puts forth a concept to properly capture and expose such distinctive foreign policy realities characterizing certain periods and places. With this concept, the article systematically scrutinizes the intergovernmental fabric of bilateral Franco–German relations from 1963 to 2009. The characteristic features of Franco–German regularized intergovernmentalism represent a crucial foreign policy connection, foundational for European affairs of the past half century and a defining feature of Europe’s post-war order and regional governance. Exploring key aspects of what it is that links France and Germany in particular ways, this paper offers a historically deeply grounded constitutive analysis. Based on its constitutive inquiries, the papers points at new possibilities of causal theorizing and explores some of regularized intergovernmentalism’s hypothesized effects and limitations. Franco–German intergovernmental affairs may be the most developed instance of this practice. But regularized bilateral intergovernmentalism is not a Franco–German idiosyncrasy. Rather, it is an important and apparently growing approach to structuring foreign policy conduct, and seems an increasingly prominent aspect of how the world is organized. Regularized intergovernmentalism refers to a distinct set of foreign policy practices that differ from others such as crisis diplomacy, various unilateral activities, strategic bargaining (bilateral or otherwise), or participation in multilateral international organizations. Regularized intergovernmental processes are patterns of public interaction and communication by individuals in public or official functions who act as representatives of their states or state entities. These practices connect and intertwine the foreign policy conduct between states in particular ways. They have their own distinct reality, implying characteristic effects as well as limitations. Such processes need not necessarily be harmonious or always constructive. They may be cooperative or strained, but they are regularized and recur over time. The pattern of Franco–German relations, instituted and decisively shaped by