Dualismus v zahraniční politice v aktuálním období premiéra Roberta Fica

This study examines the phenomenon of political dualism in the foreign policy actions of Robert Fico’s fourth government, analyzing the discrepancy between the pre-election rhetoric of the SMER-SD party and actual government practice during the period from October 2023 to December 2025. The topic was motivated by a gap in the academic literature, which devotes only limited attention to the fulfillment of foreign policy promises—particularly in the context of Central and Eastern Europe. The aim was to analyze the extent of this dualism and identify specific areas in which it manifested itself. To this end, a pledge approach based on the methodology of Thomson and Naurinová was applied. Testable pledges were extracted from the party’s pre-election communications and subsequently compared with government actions documented through official documents, EU Council records, and media sources. It was found that Fico’s fourth government fulfilled most of its foreign policy commitments during the period under review, with dualism identified in three areas: military aid to Ukraine, the revision of the defense agreement with the United States, and the use of the veto in EU institutions.