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Ministry of foreign affairs

(Redirected fromForeign minister)
"Foreign office" redirects here. For the British government department, seeForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

In many countries, theministry of foreign affairs(abbreviated asMFAorMOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state'sforeign policyandrelations,diplomacy,bilateral,andmultilateralrelations affairs as well as for providing support, including consular services, for a country's citizens who are abroad.[1]The entity is usually headed by aforeign ministerorminister of foreign affairs(the title may vary, such assecretary of statewho has the same functions).[2]The foreign minister typically reports to the head of government (such as prime minister or president).[3]

British Foreign SecretaryJames Callaghanand Dutch Minister of Foreign AffairsMax van der Stoelin 1975

Difference in titles

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In some nations, such asIndia,the foreign minister is referred to as theminister for external affairs;or others, such asBraziland the states created from the formerSoviet Union,call the position the minister of external relations. In the United States, thesecretary of stateis the member of theCabinetwho handles foreign relations. Other common titles may include minister of foreign relations. In many countries of Latin America, the foreign minister is colloquially called "chancellor"(cancillerin the Spanish-speaking countries andchancelerin the Portuguese-speaking Brazil).

Diplomats, themselves, and historians often refer to the foreign ministry by its local address, for example, theBallhausplatzin Vienna housed theForeign Ministry of Austria-Hungary;theQuai d'OrsayinParisfor France'sMinistry of Europe and Foreign Affairs;theSouth BlockinNew Delhifor India'sMinistry of External Affairs;theNecessidades Palacein Lisbon for Portugal'sMinistry of Foreign Affairs;theWilhelmstraße,in Berlin, was the location of theGerman Foreign Office;andFoggy Bottom,a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., houses theDepartment of State.TheMinistry of External Relationsof Brazil is often referred as the "Itamaraty" due to the two homonymous palaces that served as its headquarters, the original one inRio de Janeiro(1899–1970) and the presentItamaraty Palace(since 1970) inBrasília.Indonesians also often refer to theirMinistry of Foreign Affairsas "Pejambon", since the ministry's main headquarters is located at Pejambon Street,Central Jakarta.During theRussian Empire,which lasted until 1917, the term used was theChoristers' BridgeinSaint Petersburg.In contrast, the Italian ministry was called theConsulta.[4]

Powers of position

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A foreign minister's powers vary from government to government. In a classicparliamentary system,a foreign minister can potentially exert significant influence in formingforeign policybut when the government is dominated by a strongprime minister,the foreign minister may be limited to playing a more marginal or subsidiary role in determining policy. Similarly, the political powers invested in the foreign minister are often more limited inpresidential governmentswith a strongexecutive branch.Since the end of World War II, it has been common for both the foreign minister anddefense ministerto be part of an inner cabinet (commonly known as anational security council) in order to coordinate defense anddiplomatic policy.Although the 19th and early 20th centuries saw many heads of government assume the foreign ministry, this practice has since become uncommon in mostdeveloped nations.

In some countries, the foreign minister is typically among the highest profiles of cabinet positions. For instance, in the US, its foreign minister is the first member of cabinet in line for the presidential line of succession (with the vice president, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and president pro-tempore of the United States Senate ahead of the foreign minister). The UK's foreign secretary belongs to the four Great Offices of State (along with the prime minister, chancellor of the exchequer, and home secretary).

Responsibilities

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Along with their political roles, foreign ministers are also traditionally responsible for many diplomatic duties, such as hosting foreign world leaders and going onstate visitsto other countries. The foreign minister is generally the most well-traveled member of any cabinet.

Although it is very rare for there to be any sub-national foreign minister post, sometimes there is a minor external relations position. TheEuropean Unionhas dealt with external relations in certain areas since its inception (seeEU Trade Commissioner) and has ahigh representativeas its chief diplomat. However, his or her duties are primarily to implementEU foreign policy,rather than formulate it.

Lists of current ministries of foreign affairs

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Named "ministry"

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Equivalents named "department"

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Other names

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Historical

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Named "ministry"

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Lists

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By year

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References

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  1. ^The Selection and Tenure of Foreign Ministers Around the World.Cambridge University Press. 2024.
  2. ^"Minister of Foreign Affairs".The Free Dictionaryaccessdate=March 24, 2024.
  3. ^The Oxford Andrew F. Cooper, et al. eds.The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy(2015)excerptchapters 4 and 5.
  4. ^David Stevenson, "The Diplomats" in Jay Winter, ed.The Cambridge History of the First World War: Volume II: The State(2014) vol 2 p 68.
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