Stephan Wallace is a defense and security policy analyst following political, military, and economic developments in Europe. He has worked more than 33 years on this area for the U.S. government, most recently for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Ministry of Defense
Dr. Ursula von der Leyen took over leadership of the Ministry of Defense on 17 December 2013. She replaced Thomas de Maizière, who returns to the post of Interior Minister, …
Bundestag Committees
The Bundestag plays a role in German foreign and defense policy through the oversight of government ministries, budget appropriations, and the requirement that it approve foreign military operations. The work …
Merkel’s Third Government
The September 2013 Bundestag election gave Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian affiliate Christian Social Union (CSU) their best result since 1990, but it also …
Federal Chancellery
The Bundestag elected CDU Chairman Dr. Angela Merkel to her third term as Chancellor on 17 December 2013. Merkel received 462 votes, 42 less than the total of all coalition …
Foreign Office
The Foreign Office appears likely to regain some of the ground it lost to the Chancellery during the last government. Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier is more effective and much …
Ukraine Crisis Threatens to Derail German Ostpolitik
The new government made improving relations with Russia one of its foreign policy priorities. The coalition agreement devoted an entire page to this theme and put it immediately after the …
German Foreign and Defense Policy Handbook
The September 2013 Bundestag election resulted in a third term for Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her second Grand Coalition. On the eve of Chancellor Merkel’s visit to Washington, AGI is …
Status of Foreign Deployments
Germany has about 4,900 military personnel deployed in multinational peace support operations. Mandates for these deployments must be approved by the Bundestag and are usually limited to a period of …
European Integration and the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy
With the election behind her, Chancellor Merkel has been more outspoken in support of further European integration. In the new government’s declaration to the Bundestag on 29 January, she said …
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
German development policy is an independent area of German foreign policy formulated by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). However, aid to developing countries is increasingly linked to …
