Military-Political Strategy in the German Party Debate before and after the ‘’Zeitenwende’’: Trends and Consequences

The "Zeitenwende" announced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022 has seriously altered the German domestic political debate. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, German politicians have begun to put the issue of their own country’s defense capability as one of the central topics of internal political discussion. The changes in the public debate provide a new perspective on the current trends in the political landscape, the changing balance of power and the prioritization of various topics in domestic politics. The author therefore aims to determine the place of the domestic German debate on military-political issues. For this purpose, the first objective of the article is to examine the evolution of the German public discourse around military issues, noting its limitations and marginalization. The second task is to study the development after the announced "Zeitenwende" in 2022, focusing on the deliberate politicization of this issue by the leading German parties, which for the first time in recent decades are forced to search for their own niche in military policy. The latest developments since February 2022 are examined through the prism of key party documents and government decrees, as well as public statements of leading politicians. The author assesses the orientation of key actors and the magnitude of their influence on political processes This approach allows to embed the study in the existing body of publications and adds novelty through the analysis of current documents. As a result, the author illustrates how the German military strategy, having become one of the central themes in contemporary German politics, immediately became a “bargaining chip” in the disputes between the parties. 

1. Basov F.A., Kokeev A.M., Vasiliev V.I., Khorolskaya M.V. (2018) Nemetskoye predstavleniye o bezopasnosti [The German idea of security]. Mezhdunarodnaya zhizn’ [The International Affairs] 10: 37-54. (In Russian).

2. Baumann R., Hellmann G. (2001) Germany and the Use of Military Force: ‘Total War’, the ‘Culture of Restraint’ and the Quest for Normality. German Politics 10(1): 61-82.

3. Belov V.B. (2021) German Foreign Policy in the Face of Current Challenges. Mezhdunarodnaya Analitika [International Analytics] 12(3): 38-58. (In Russian).

4. Crawford B. & Olsen K. (2017) The Puzzle of Persistence and Power: Explaining Germany’s Normative Foreign Policy. German Politics 26(4): 591-608. DOI: 10.1080/09644008.2017.136 4365.

5. Dorn F., Potrafke N., Schlepper M. (2022) Zeitenwende in der Verteidigungspolitik? LeibnizInstitut für Wirtschaftsforschung an der Universität München 75: 37-45.

6. Dyson T. (2011) Managing Convergence: German Military Doctrine and Capabilities in the 21st Century. Defence Studies 11(2): 244-270. DOI: 10.1080/14702436.2011.590047.

7. Egorov A.I. (2012) Germanskiy Bundesver: Reformy i Primenenie (1990 – 2003 gg.) [German Bundeswehr: Reforms and Application (1990 – 2003)]. Via in Tempore. Istoriya. Politologiya [Via in Tempore. History. Political Science] 7(126): 99-105. (In Russian).

8. Giegerich B., Terhalle M. (2016) The Munich Consensus and the Purpose of German Power. Survival 58(2): 155–166.

9. Glatz R.L., Hansen W., Kaim M., Vorrath J. (2018) Die Auslandseinsätze der Bundeswehr im Wandel. Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik - SWP - Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit. (In German).

10. Hein P. (2011) In the Shadow of Pacifism: Foreign Policy Choices of Germany and Japan in Afghanistan. East Asia 28(2): 135-155. DOI: 10.1007/s12140-011-9140-5.

11. Hyde-Price A. (2001) Germany and the Kosovo War: Still a Civilian Power? German Politics 10(1): 19-34. DOI: 10.1080/09644000412331307374.

12. Istomin I., Sokolov A. (2021) Amerikanskiy Kontingent v FRG: Simvol Bezopasnosti, Garant Loyal’nosti, Predmet Roskoshi? [American Troops in Germany: A Symbol of Security, a Guarantor of Loyalty, a Luxury Item?] Mirovaya Ekonomika i Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya [World Economy and International Relations] 65(3): 60-72. DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-202165-3-60-72. (In Russian).

13. Khrishkevich T.G. (2016) Zarubezhnyye Missii Bundesvera v Nachale XXI Veka [Foreign Missions of the Bundeswehr at the Beginning of the 21st Century]. Pskovskiy VoyennoIstoricheskiy Vestnik [Pskov Military Historical Bulletin] 2: 176-183. (In Russian).

14. Longhurst K. (2005) Germany and the Use of Force. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

15. Maull H.W. (2003) Auf Leisen Sohlen aus der Außenpolitik? Internationale Politik 9: 19-30. (In German).

16. Meden N.K. (2015) O Nekotorykh Tendentsiyakh v Oboronnoy Politike Germanii [On Some Trends in German Defense Policy]. Vestnik MGIMO-Universiteta [Bulletin of MGIMO University] 2(41): 143-151. DOI: 10.24833/2071-8160-2015-2-41-143-151. (In Russian).

17. Noetzel T., Schreer B. (2008) All the Way? The Evolution of German Military Power. International Affairs 84(2): 211-221. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2346.2008.00700.x.

18. Pavlov N.V., Khderi K.Yu. (2020) FRG i Krizis v Sirii: Aktivnyy Posrednik ili Passivnyy Nablyudatel’? [Germany and the Crisis in Syria: Active Mediator or Passive Observer?] Mirovaya Ekonomika i Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya [World Economy and International Relations] 12(64): 78-86. DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2020-64-12-78-86. (In Russian).

19. Rustamova L.R. (2021) Reformirovaniye Bundesvera i Budushcheye Mirotvorchestva FRG [Reform of the Bundeswehr and the Future of German Peacekeeping]. Mirovaya Politika [World Politics] 4: 29-43. DOI: 10.25136/2409-8671.2021.4.36992. (In Russian).

20. Schwegmann C. (2024) Die Zeitenwende und die Renaissance der Verteidigung. Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik 17: 11–26. DOI: 10.1007/s12399-024-00978-8. (In German).

21. Sindeev A. (2015) Reforma Bundesvera: Tri Etapa [Reform of the Bundeswehr: Three Stages]. Mirovaya Ekonomika i Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya [World Economy and International Relations] 3: 86-94. DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2015-3-86-94. (In Russian).

22. Sokolov A.P. (2019) Bezopasnost’ Germanii i Voyennoye Prisutstviye SSHA v FRG: «Komfortnaya» Okkupatsiya ili Soyuznicheskaya Solidarnost’? [German Security and the US Military Presence in Germany: “Comfortable” Occupation or Allied Solidarity?] Mezhdunarodnaya Analitika [International Analytics] 1-2: 41-51. DOI: 10.46272/2587-84762019-0-1-2-41-51. (In Russian).

23. Trunov F.O. (2018) Ispol’zovaniye Bundesvera v Bor’be s «Islamskim Gosudarstvom» - v Sostave Zapadnoy Koalitsii? [Using the Bundeswehr in the Fight Against the Islamic State - as Part of the Western Coalition?] Vestnik Rossiyskogo Universiteta Druzhby Narodov. Seriya: Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya [Bulletin of the Russian Peoples’ Friendship University. Series: International Relations] 18(4): 806-822. DOI: 10.22363/23130660-201818-4-806-822. (In Russian).

24. Trunov F.O. (2021) Strategiya i Taktika FRG v Voyenno-Politicheskoy Oblasti [Strategy and Tactics of Germany in the Military-Political Field]. Mezhdunarodnyye Protsessy [International Processes] 19(2): 50-73. DOI: 10.17994/IT.2021.19.2.65.4. (In Russian).

25. Trunov F.O. (2022) Sovremennoye Sostoyaniye i Perspektivnyy Oblik Vooruzhennykh Sil FRG: Strategicheskiye Imperativy, Vyzovy i Vozmozhnosti Tekhnologicheskogo Pereosnashcheniya [Current State and Future Appearance of the Armed Forces of Germany: Strategic Imperatives, Challenges and Opportunities for Technological ReEquipment] Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 25. Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya i Mirovaya Politika [Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 25. International Relations and World Politics] 3: 72-98. (In Russian)..

26. Vlasov N.A. (2016) Uroki Gindukusha: Missiya Bundesvera v Afganistane i Politika Bezopasnosti FRG [Lessons from the Hindu Kush: The Bundeswehr Mission in Afghanistan and the Security Policy of Germany] Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo Universiteta. Seriya 6. Politologiya. Mezhdunarodnyye Otnosheniya [Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Series 6. Political Science. International Relations] 3: 108-121. DOI: 10.21638/11701/spbu06.2016.309. (In Russian).