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A 'minister for foreign affairs', or 'foreign minister', is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation. The ministry for foreign affairs is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government (prime minister or president); it is often granted to the deputy prime minister in coalition governments. In some nations, the foreign minister is referred to as the 'minister for external affairs'. The current foreign minister of New Zealand, however, is not a member of the Cabinet, but rather sits in the Opposition, as part of a complex system of coalition agreements entered into by the Labour Party and its multiple allies.
A foreign minister's powers can vary from government to government. In a classic parliamentary system, a foreign minister can potentially exert significant influence in forming foreign policy but when the government is dominated by a strong prime 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 in presidential governments with a strong executive. Since the end of World War II, it has been common for both the foreign minister and defense minister to be part of an inner cabinet (commonly known as a National Security Council) in order to coordinate defence and diplomatic policy. Although the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw many heads of government assume the foreign ministry, this practice has since become uncommon in most developed nations.
Along with their political roles, foreign ministers are also traditionally responsible for many diplomatic duties, such as hosting foreign world leaders and going on state visits to other countries. The foreign minister is generally the most well-traveled member of any cabinet.
In the United States, the foreign minister is called the 'Secretary of State', and occupies the oldest cabinet post in the nation. In the United Kingdom, the foreign minister is called the 'Foreign Secretary'; after the merger of the previously separate Foreign Office and Commonwealth Office in 1968; the British foreign minister is officially referred to as the 'Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs'.
Other common titles may include 'minister of foreign relations'. In many Spanish-Speaking Latin American countries, the foreign minister is called '''canciller''' (= chancellor).

Contents

Related articles and lists

By year

Country-related articles and lists

See also

External links

Related articles and lists

By year

★ 1950

★ 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

★ 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Country-related articles and lists

★ Angola: Minister of External Relations

★ Australia: Minister for Foreign Affairs (with list), heading the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

★ Austria-Hungary: Foreign Minister (list)

★ Azerbaijan: Foreign Minister (list), heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Belgium: Minister of Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Brazil: see Ministry of Foreign Relations

★ Canada:

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★ (from 1993) Minister of Foreign Affairs (list)

★
★ (until 1993) Secretary of State for External Affairs (list)

★ People's Republic of China: Foreign Minister (with list), heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Republic of China: Foreign minister (list)

★ Chile: see Ministry of Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Colombia: see Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Denmark: Foreign Minister (list)

★ Egypt: Foreign Minister (with list)

★ Estonia: Minister of Foreign Affairs, heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Fiji: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ Finland: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ France: Minister of Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Georgia: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Germany: Minister of Foreign Affairs (list)

★ Greece: Minister for Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Iceland: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ India: Foreign Minister

★ Iran: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Ireland: Minister for Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Israel: Foreign Affairs Minister

★ Italy: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Japan: Minister for Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Kenya: Foreign Minister (list)

★ Libya: Foreign minister (list)

★ Luxembourg: Minister for Foreign Affairs (list)

★ Mexico: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Montenegro: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Netherlands: Minister of Foreign Affairs (list), heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ New Zealand: Minister of Foreign Affairs (with list), heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

★ Nigeria: Foreign Minister

★ Norway: Foreign minister

★ Pakistan: Foreign Minister (with list), heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

★ Poland: Minister of Foreign Affairs

★ Portugal: Minister of Foreign Affairs (with list)

★ Prussia: Foreign Minister

★ Romania: Foreign Minister (list)

★ Russia: Foreign Minister (list)

★ São Tomé and Príncipe: Foreign Minister (list)

★ Seychelles: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ Singapore: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ Sweden: Minister for Foreign Affairs (with list), heading the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

★ Switzerland: Federal Councillor (list), heading the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

★ Turkey: Minister for Foreign Affairs

★ United Kingdom: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (with list), heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

★ United States: Secretary of State (with list), heading the Department of State

See also

★ Diplomacy

External links

★ eDiplomat.com: Foreign Affairs Ministries

★ Foreign Ministries: Adaptation to a Changing World A collection of papers and presentations from a conference which address the issues of performance management and accountability assessment in foreign ministries, diplomacy of small states, foreign services conduct of economic, cultural and public diplomacy.

★ The Diplo Directory A detailed survey of websites of ministries of foreign affairs, embassies, and other diplomatic and consular missions.