When Crises Unite. Changing Party Positions on Foreign Policy During Critical Events in Germany

Although foreign policy is often associated with national unity and national interests, this view overlooks the role of parties as pivotal decision-makers in shaping foreign policy. Political ideologies and party dynamics influence foreign policy decisions, from coalition unity to opposition strategies. We assume that when events requiring a quick reaction occur, parties will act more cohesively. In addition, the legislative and executive parts of government parties will move closer to each other. Opposition parties, on the other hand, will use this opportunity to present themselves as an alternative to the government and express criticism. To test this theory, we look at speeches in parliament about foreign policy in Germany between 1990 and 2021. We differentiate between types of events and their severity. Applying text-as-data methods to scale party positions, governing party members increase intra- and inter-party cohesion, thus showing a rally effect. The same is not true for opposition parties, who generally distance themselves from the government. Our findings shed new light on event-based approaches when explaining party movements and party behaviour in parliament.