The Foreign Policy Database (BDPEX) is a working tool for the study of Spanish foreign relations that makes it possible to detect, analyse and interpret different actors and interests related to Spanish foreign policy towards the Arab-Islamic world. Its aim is to provide a tool for the integrated analysis of foreign relations between the Spanish state and the Arab-Islamic world, one of the pillars of Spanish foreign policy.

Its aim is to provide a tool for the integrated analysis of foreign relations between the Spanish state and the Arab-Islamic world, one of the pillars of Spanish foreign policy.

The BDPEX is the result of a theoretical and empirical analysis done within the framework of the R&D&i projects ‘The International Dimension of Political Transformations in the Arab-Islamic World’ (CSO2014-52998-C3-3-P), ‘Actors and Interests in Spanish Foreign Relations with the Arab World’ (CSO2008-06232-C03-03) and ‘Foreign Policy and Cultural Relations with the Arab World’ (SEJ2005-08867-C03-03), and developed as part of the project ‘New Spaces, Actors and Tools in Spanish Foreign Relations with the Arab and Muslim World’ (CSO2011-29438-C05-02), financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Additionally, an interdisciplinary team made up of Arabists, economists, political scientists, historians and sociologists, among others, participated in its formulation, contributing to the creation of a pluralistic, integrated approach to Spanish foreign policy.

The BDPEX emerged in response to the need to adapt the framework for analysing Spanish foreign policy to the transformations of recent decades. To that end, the BDPEX is a new online tool with which to create files for professional careers, agencies and institutions, and general Spanish foreign policy actions in countries in the Arab and Muslim world. Moreover, it includes novel quantitative description tools for the analysis of this group of countries.

The sources of information for the BDPEX data are:

• Congress of Deputies initiative search engine
• Official Development Assistance (ODA) statistics from the monitoring data for the Annual International Cooperation Plan (PACI), Directorate-General for Development Planning and Policy Evaluation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Official Gazette (BOAMAEC)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Guide, General Technical Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
• Guide for Spanish representations abroad, General Technical Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
• Diplomatic staff service records, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Archive
• Diplomatic staff promotion ladders, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Archive
• Spanish foreign policy documents, texts and activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
• Monographs from Arab and Islamic countries, Directorate-General for Communication, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
• Official State Gazette and Historical Collection
• DataComex, Spanish foreign trade statistics, Secretary of State for Trade, Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade
• DataInvex, Spanish investment abroad statistics, Secretary of State for Trade, Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade