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Zeitenwende: German Foreign Policy Change in the Wake of Russia's War Against Ukraine

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  • Patrick A. Mello

    (Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Russia’s war against Ukraine has severely damaged the European security architecture. This article examines the consequences of this rupture for German foreign and security policy. Just a few months before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany saw the transition to an unprecedented three-party coalition government of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals. In a special address to the Bundestag three days after the invasion, Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Russia’s war initiation as a historical Zeitenwende (“watershed”) that called into question long-held beliefs about European security. In the wake of this, Scholz proclaimed far-reaching changes, including the announcement that military expenditure would be drastically increased, additional military capabilities would be procured, and new deployments would be committed to NATO’s eastern flank. This article argues that the Zeitenwende amounts to an international orientation change in German foreign and security policy. Apart from identifying areas of significant change, the article also documents political contestation over the Zeitenwende’s nature and extent as well as gaps between proclaimed changes and actual implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick A. Mello, 2024. "Zeitenwende: German Foreign Policy Change in the Wake of Russia's War Against Ukraine," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v12:y:2024:a:7346
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.7346
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gorm Rye Olsen, 2024. "The Rumours of the Crisis of Liberal Interventionism Are Greatly Exaggerated," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    2. Florian Böller & Georg Wenzelburger, 2024. "Grasping Foreign and Security Policy Change: Patterns and Conditions of Change Among Liberal Democracies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cornelia Baciu & Falk Ostermann & Wolfgang Wagner, 2024. "The Crisis of Liberal Interventionism and the Return of War," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    2. Florian Böller & Georg Wenzelburger, 2024. "Grasping Foreign and Security Policy Change: Patterns and Conditions of Change Among Liberal Democracies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.

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    1. Cornelia Baciu & Falk Ostermann & Wolfgang Wagner, 2024. "The Crisis of Liberal Interventionism and the Return of War," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.

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