German Foreign Policy Since Unification

German Foreign Policy Since Unification - Zbiorowa Praca

This work examines the extent to which German foreign policy has changed since unification, and analyzes the fundamental reasons behind this change. It has three main aims. The first is to develop theories of foreign policy, grounded in the major schools of thought in international relations, which seek to predict and explain Germany's foreign policy behaviour. The second is to test competing predictions, derived from the foreign policy theories, about German foreign policy behaviour since unification in several issue areas. The third is to assess the much-debated question as to whether post-unification Germany's foreign policy is marked by continuity or change. The debate surrounding German foreign policy since unification was stimulated initially by neo-realist thinking which expected adjustments in terms of power politics. Other major contributions to the debate were informed by two alternative strands of thought, namely the constructivist and liberal theories of foreign policy. On the basis of 20 case studies in six foreign policy issue areas presented in this book, solid inferences about the explanatory power of neo-realism, constructivism and utilitarian liberalism are drawn.
The case studies discuss the status and security policy of Germany within the United Nations, the country's security policy within NATO, the constitutional policy within the European Union, the foreign trade policy within both the European Union and the GATT/WTO, and also the policies with regard to foreign aid and human rights. Ultimately, this detailed analysis of actual policy since unification allows the drawing up of instructive and informative conclusions.