German Leadership in the Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union

Abstract

The 2020s promise to be a challenging decade for Germany in international affairs. The model of international relations that developed after the Cold War, based on multilateral cooperation and diplomacy, is coming under further pressure. As the US relative power is in decline and other actors, especially China and Russia, are increasing their international influence, the world enters a decade of growing international competition. Unlike the US, China or Russia, Germany is not engaging in this increasingly tense geopolitical competition. As this Special Issue of German Politics demonstrates, Germany’s strength lies primarily in its tradition of diplomatic engagement on the European continent and beyond. The European Union (EU) is the main framework through which Germany pursues this cooperative approach. During the 2010s, Germany acquired a leading role in several areas of EU policy-making, including foreign and security policy. On numerous occasions, Germany’s leadership in the EU was severely put to the test. This Special Issue investigates the origins, nature and limitations of German leadership in the Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union.