Published in Europe's World Autumn 2007 issue no. 7
Sir,
Franz-Josef Meiers says Berlin could be accused of freeloading on other EU member states unless Germany modernises its armed forces and strengthens its military commitment to the European Security and Defence Policy. Yet German reluctance to become the EU's third Musketeer, along with Britain and France, is understandable – and not just in light of the country's traumatic Nazi past. There is an on-going internal political debate on the country's future role in global affairs, with the Social Democrats inclined towards a soft-power approach where multilateralism and engagement are central. On the other hand, the Christian Democrats tend to consider foreign policy in terms of traditional power relations.
Of course, Germany is healing the psychological wounds of World War II and the post-war generation of leaders is increasingly confident on the international stage. But that doesn't mean the majority of Germans want their nation to become a global third Musketeer. Public opinion supports international humanitarian operations and conflict prevention, but opposes military involvement in battles like those fought in Iraq. We should remember that Germany has far less colonial experience of fighting in far-flung corners of empire than Britain or France. Also, having just recovered from a long recession, Germans are counting every euro.
Despite these restraints, I believe that Germany achieved remarkable success in taking the ESDP forward during its EU presidency in the first half of 2007. The EU military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to maintain a safe and secure environment; the EU Planning Team for Kosovo, set up in April 2006, was reinforced and extended until September 2007, and Berlin further developed and strengthened the EU's civilian and military instruments for crisis prevention and management. Germany also participated in operations in Afghanistan and Lebanon, improved transatlantic relations and ensured NATO remained central to European security.
Nevertheless, I would agree with Franz-Josef Meiers that modernisation of German security policy remains desirable. The ESDP requires Germans to be both willing and able to deploy troops on far-ranging missions and to upgrade its fighting capability so that it can, at the very least, engage in restricted military actions. The German defence budget also needs expanding. It may be attractive to German voters to under-finance defence spending, but it damages Germany image as an ally in NATO and the EU and sets a poor precedent for newcomers to the EU. After all, many eastern and central European member states have a far better economic excuse to fall below the defence spending benchmark of 2% of GDP than comparatively prosperous Germany.
Larger EU member states, including Germany, have an essential role in both security and foreign policy and a responsibility to provide the rest of Europe with better leadership. But this leadership doesn't have to be confined to just three Musketeers. A meeting of minds between the UK, France and Germany plus Italy and Spain, possibly even Poland, would be an important step on the way towards a successful ESDP.
Original Article by Franz-Josef Meiers:
http://www.europesworld.org/EWSettings/Article/tabid/78/Id/c0324825-5413-4fc6-b73d-b837f7854b58
