If we look back at more than a decade of united Germany’s foreign policy, there seems to be a shift away from the former military `culture of restraint`. Throughout the 1990s, German troops have been increasingly deployed in military operations `out of area` and for the first time since the Second World War participated in combat missions in the Kosovo War in 1999. Consequently, the “FRG has read the signs of the new time and feels ready to take on the role of a European power”. Has the reunited country actually gained power? Has the removal of the last boundaries of German sovereignty triggered a quest for more political autonomy that manifests itself in an increased military activity? Does this comparatively more `permissive` use of force indicate a fundamental shift away from former traditional principles of the Bonn Republic? Or does the Berlin Republic head toward a militarized German foreign policy in the context of Euro-Atlantic hegemony?
It is Germany’s security policy as a cornerstone of foreign policy that I am going to examine between 1990 and 2003 to be able to make some inferences of foreign policy changes. Secondly, by looking of some factors that might have had an impact on these eventual changes one might additionally gain some further implications. The aim of this thesis is therefore twofold: I intend to contribute with this work to the debate whether since reunification change or continuity prevails in German foreign policy, while I additionally attempt a causal analyses of new elements in it. The scope of that debate will be in so far enhanced as it tries to generate causal inferences as well.
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION
1.Germany and the Dual Change: Unification and the End of the Cold War
2.Focus and Scope of the Case
3.Concepts and Theoretical Literature
4.Argument and Outline of the Chapters
II. GERMANY`S POWER POSITION: THE NEOREALIST APPROACH
1.Contents
2.Relevance
3.Application
3.1 Case 1: Integration of the Bundeswehr in NATO/EU
3.2 Case 2: German participation in out-of-area operations
4.Evaluation
5.Summary
III. DOMESTIC INTERESTS: THE UTILITARIAN LIBERAL APPROACH
1.Contents
2.Relevance
3.Application
3.1 Case 1: Integration of the Bundeswehr in NATO/EU
3.2 Case 2: German participation in out-of-area operations
4.Evaluation
5.Summary
IV. ‘GERMAN’ AND ‘INTERNATIONAL’ NORMS: A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH
1.Contents
2.Relevance
3.Application
3.1 International norms and the dual change
3.2 Societal norms and the dual change
3.3 Case 1: Integration of the Bundeswehr in NATO/EU
3.4 Case 2: German participation in out-of-area operations
4.Evaluation
5.Summary
V.CONCLUSION
1.Results
2.Discussion
3.Where to go from here
Objectives and Topics
This thesis investigates whether German foreign policy, specifically in the realm of security, has fundamentally changed since the reunification of Germany and the end of the Cold War. It aims to determine if the perceived shift toward a more active and military-involved role indicates a departure from traditional postwar principles, or if it remains consistent with existing frameworks.
- The impact of German reunification and the end of the Cold War on security policy.
- The use of Neorealist, Utilitarian Liberal, and Constructivist theories to interpret state behavior.
- The integration of the Bundeswehr into NATO and EU structures as a case study.
- The analysis of German military participation in international "out-of-area" missions.
- The debate between continuity and change in the Berlin Republic's foreign policy.
Excerpt from the Book
1.Germany and the Dual Change: Unification and the End of the Cold War
The West German state that emerged in 1949 out of complete military and moral defeat after the Second World War was from the very beginning severely restricted in its sovereignty. As a creation of the Western powers, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was designed as a result of a two-country solution, since inter-allied cooperation failed in the attempt to commonly govern the occupied zones with the rise of the Cold War. In the light of the new global confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union, West Germany’s capacities were soon needed as an additional deterrent against the perceived Soviet military threat. It was thus the Allies need and additionally West German will to integrate with the West, which granted the young Federal Republic gradually some status and (limited) space for political action.
In particular, the much-debated West-German rearmament loosened the initial strong restrictions on political sovereignty. Due to recent historical reasons, the young FRG was heavily burdened with the past, especially when it came to military affairs. West Germany’s army, the Bundeswehr, could therefore not be designed as a pure national instrument; it was supposed to contribute to the Western defense in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which served as a containment of both Soviet and West German power. The FRG's political rights were largely restored, but her sovereignty, freedom of action and military power remained limited in major ways. The FRG gained in the process of its rearmament considerable sovereignty, which nevertheless left the Allies rights concerning Germany and Berlin in its entirety untouched.
Summary of Chapters
I. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research focus on German security policy changes after 1990 and introduces the methodological framework.
II. GERMANY`S POWER POSITION: THE NEOREALIST APPROACH: Examines how the distribution of power and capabilities explains German security behavior using a Neorealist lens.
III. DOMESTIC INTERESTS: THE UTILITARIAN LIBERAL APPROACH: Analyzes the influence of domestic political actors and network structures on foreign policy preferences.
IV. ‘GERMAN’ AND ‘INTERNATIONAL’ NORMS: A CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH: Explores how societal and international norms shape the logic of appropriate behavior for German policymakers.
V. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the theoretical findings to assess the ongoing debate regarding change versus continuity in German foreign policy.
Keywords
German foreign policy, security policy, reunification, Cold War, NATO, Bundeswehr, Neorealism, Utilitarian Liberalism, Constructivism, out-of-area operations, multilateralism, sovereignty, power position, European integration, domestic interests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The work examines the transformation of German foreign and security policy from the end of the Cold War and reunification in 1990 through 2003, focusing on the country's increased military involvement.
What are the primary theoretical frameworks used?
The author employs three distinct International Relations theories: Neorealism (power-centered), Utilitarian Liberalism (interest-centered), and Constructivism (norms-centered).
What is the main objective of the research?
The goal is to determine whether the observed changes in German military activity represent a fundamental shift in foreign policy direction or a continuation of established postwar principles.
How does the author approach the analysis methodologically?
The research conducts an empirical study based on two main test cases: the integration of the Bundeswehr into NATO/EU structures and German participation in multilateral out-of-area missions.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a theory-based analysis of each of the three paradigms, applying them to the defined case studies to see which theory best predicts or explains German policy outcomes.
Which keywords characterize this academic work?
The study is defined by terms such as German security policy, Neorealism, Liberalism, Constructivism, multilateralism, the Bundeswehr, and the transition from the "Bonn Republic" to the "Berlin Republic."
How does the author evaluate the impact of the Kosovo War?
The Kosovo conflict is identified as a critical turning point where German foreign policy had to reconcile the conflicting principles of "never again war" and "never again Auschwitz," leading to the first combat mission since 1945.
What role does the Federal Constitutional Court play in this analysis?
The author highlights the court's 1994 ruling as a path-breaking decision that provided the legal basis for the Bundeswehr to participate in out-of-area operations, turning it into a "parliamentary army."
- Quote paper
- Lutz Lindenau (Author), 2003, The New Permissive Use of Force - A Window for Change in German Foreign Policy?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/18488
