Germany and the devil of introversion
Paweł Świeboda
The text was published in the review of German foreign policy REVIEW 2014
One other German reinvention in foreign policy is needed. The only endeavour commensurate with Germany’s strength and level of ambition is that of an explicit attempt to shape the rules of the international political and economic order, in strict alignement with Berlin’s EU allies. None of these ambitions can materialise if this new German foreign policy orientation is not embedded in a domestic consensus.
As in many mature democracies, the biggest challenge to German foreign policy lies inside the country’s domestic discourse. Much of its post-war reinvention had to do with taming the risks which Germany could pose to itself and to others.
The process is long since complete but what lingers on are its side-effects: the self-imposed limitations on Germany’s foreign engagement and the tendency for Germany to underestimate security risks in its external environment. Read more…