Newsletter 2012/05/02 – Under German Leadership (I)
BERLIN (Own report) – German foreign policy experts are discussing
what form “German leadership” in Europe and the world should take.
Germany has “a duty to take the lead,” according to the latest edition
of the most influential German foreign policy journal “Internationale
Politik.” Several well-known experts are presenting their proposals on
the role German hegemony should play. In addition to advocating
Germany’s global engagement for free trade and “human rights,” experts
are proposing that, with its “global political mission,” Germany has
to reconstitute “the West,” i.e. an alliance with the USA. On a par
with Washington, Germany should help this alliance experience a
“renaissance.” To achieve the necessary political weight, the EU’s
instruments of power should be used to have “leverage for German
foreign policy interests.” For the first time, with its current
edition, “Internationale Politik” is launching a larger public debate
on Berlin’s hegemonic policy. Even though this policy is already being
applied, until recently, it was officially denied, to avoid
humiliating other EU countries.
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