The character of democratic regimes and the process of foreign policy decision-making in Nigeria under president Obasanjo (1999-2007)‎

Abstract EN

This article interrogates the role democratic norms played in shaping Nigeria’s foreign policy decision-making during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration – 1999-2007.

Specifically, it engages in a broad discussion on how democracy is being practiced in Nigeria, evaluating how this fits into the general notion that democratic regimes would be more malleable to the people’s interest and expectation in (foreign) policy decision-making.

This it does, with emphasis on the descriptive and evaluative uses of the concept – democracy, rather than the ideals which democracy was supposed to serve.

With the methodological tool of content analysis as well as the historical description and analysis method, the study evaluates Nigerian decision makers’ responsiveness to citizens’ interests/opinion in foreign policy making regarding specific events of the era.

The study which furthers the discourse on the democracy/foreign policy decision-making nexus concludes that the vigour with which democracy has been credited with being people-centred in policy making has been exaggerated because foreign policy decision-making has remained the exclusive domain of the leader which in the context of this article, is President Obasanjo.