No Fear of International Responsibility
Rana Deep Islam co-authors this in-depth analysis of the state of German foreign policy. After calls for increased engagement from Germany’s policy elite, it is time for a wide-spread debate.
Summary:
The German government is confronted with the new situation that its neighbors are more worried by the reserved and cautious behavior of the country in foreign policy than the risk of new validity claim by Germany. Germany’s foreign policy is heavily impacted by the attitude of its population, who do not want to accept the new role of Germany in the international community, which comes hand-in-hand with the expectation to take greater responsibility and leadership.
The authors claim that it is time to face Germany’s new role, coming along with problematic moral decisions, and that no one should be afraid of the new role of Germany in the world. In addition, they welcome the new attitude by politicians like Fran-Walter Steinmeier and the foreign office, which asked especially for the participation of civil society in its call for a review of Germany’s foreign policy. However, the authors also request the participation of political parties, especially the SPD, for a serious debate of Germany’s foreign policy.
