There are conflicting opinions regarding the understanding of a country's foreign policy. One viewpoint which is now commonly shared by most foreign policy experts is that foreign policy is not an independent variable and as such is conditioned by several factors. Among the multiple determinants of foreign policy, the domestic factors are considered to be especially important. While it is universally accepted that a State's external behavior is, definitely, conditioned by the international environment, it is equally true that the goals, contents and conduct of that behaviour are also to a significant extent shaped by the domestic context out of which it arises.