The Evolution of Germany As a 'Realist Civilian Power'

Civilian Powers and the Use of Force: The Evolution of Germany as a ‘Realist Civilian Power’ Birgül DEMİRTAŞ* & Mahmut MAZLUM** Abstract and global conflicts? What does the German case tell us about the evolution Because of Germany’s rising economic and of civilian powers in the current global political clout not only in European but circumstances? also in global politics, it is worth analysing the dynamics of change and continuity in Key Words Germany’s policy towards the use of force. This article aims to critically examine Realist Constructivism, Civilian Powers, Use of the evolution of Germany’s civilian Force, Germany, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya. power characteristics based on three case studies of Kosovo, Afghanistan, and the Introduction uprisings in the Middle East, by using “The use of military means as a last the theoretical framework of realist resort cannot and should not be constructivism. The article tries to answer excluded, but no conflict that we the following research questions: To what face today can be solved by military extent has Germany been able to maintain means alone.”1 its traditional peaceful foreign policy in Angela Merkel the new “global disorder”? Which factors affect its decision to be involved or not in “Germany’s path to greater military military interventions in various regional assertiveness has not been linear, and it never will be. Germans do not * Prof. Dr., TOBB ETÜ, Department of believe that talking at roundtables Political Science and International Relations, solves every problem, but neither Söğütözü, Ankara, Turkey. do they think that shooting does. E-mail: [email protected] The mixed track record of foreign ** Ph.D. Candidate, Ludwig Maximilian military interventions over the University of Munich, Geschwister Scholl past 20 years is only one reason for Institute of Political Science, Munich, 2 caution.” Germany. E-mail: [email protected] Frank-Walter Steinmeier 27 PERCEPTIONS, Spring 2018, Volume XXIII, Number 1, pp. 27-62. Birgül Demirtaş & Mahmut Mazlum The literature on civilian powers has among member states and allowing so far mainly analysed actors like them to cooperate better. In its Global Germany, Japan and the European Strategy 2016 it was stated that “While Union, which formulated their foreign NATO exists to defend its members- policies during the Cold War based most of which are European- from on civilian national role conceptions.3 external attack, Europeans must The current challenges seem to be better equipped, trained and encourage these actors to rethink their organised to contribute decisively to traditional foreign policy approaches, such collective efforts, as well as to act which exclude the use of power. For autonomously if and when necessary.”5 example, Japan has been reconsidering On the one hand, the EU tries to its foreign policy since the end of the create a better coordination among the Cold War.4 The current government defence policies of the member states under the prime ministry of Shinzo via the European Defense Agency; Abe has been putting great emphasis on the other hand, it is engaged in on increasing Japan’s role in the global an ever increasing number of civilian system. The creation of the National and military operations abroad.6 In Security Council in 2013 and approval November 2017, the Permanent of a new legislation in 2015 allowing Structured Cooperation on security Japanese soldiers to participate in and defence (PESCO) was established collective self-defense operations by in order to improve cooperation on simplifying the procedures for the defence and security issues.7 deployment of Japanese troops abroad In addition to Japan and the European were important steps in the evolution Union, Germany has also been of Japanese security policy. reconsidering its security policy Meanwhile, the European Union has ever since its dream of unification also been reconsidering its security and was fulfilled on 3 October 1990. defence policies considering the period A comprehensive examination of since the early 1990s. Ever since the German foreign policy is important in formation of the three pillar system the current Zeitgeist because of several with the Treaty of Maastricht, the factors. First of all, Germany has been Union has been trying to consolidate one of the least affected countries by its common foreign and security the global economic crisis that started policies. The Treaty of Lisbon created a in 2008. While some EU countries, Common Security and Defense Policy like Greece, Portugal and Spain, were with the aim of increasing cooperation experiencing deep economic crisis and 28 Civilian Powers and the Use of Force rise of unemployment rates, Berlin in Germany’s international relations. continued to grow at stable rates and This article aims to critically examine in fact saw its unemployment figures the evolution of Germany’s civilian decrease. Therefore, the economic power characteristics based on three weight of Germany within the EU and case studies, Kosovo, Afghanistan in the world has an increasing trend. and Libya, as well as the fight against Second, because of Brexit, Germany’s DAESH. political weight in the EU will also increase and Berlin administrations will The concept of “civilian power” was probably play a more leading role in the constructed during the Cold War era organisation. Third, recent years have in order to describe those actors which witnessed a flourishing of Germany’s refrained from using force in their role in global affairs. The country has external relations. Although the era been involved in taking initiatives, of the Cold War was characterized by starting negotiations and trying to balance of power and military rivalry find solutions to regional and global between two antagonistic blocs, there problems on almost every occasion, were some actors who preferred not to the best examples being the P5+1 depend on military power in order to negotiations in the Iranian nuclear have an impact on their neighbourhood crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian and the global system. conflict. The concept of civilian power was first used for the policies of the European Community. It was then extended to In addition to Japan and the the foreign policies of Germany and European Union, Germany Japan. All these three actors relied on has also been reconsidering civilian means in their international its security policy ever since relations. They did not become part of its dream of unification was any military involvement or conflict. fulfilled on 3 October 1990. Based upon the military guarantee of mainly the USA, they could devote their financial capacity and intellectual potential to education, health, social Therefore, because of Germany’s security and other areas of civilian rising economic and political clout public policies. Both Germany and not only in European, but also in Japan also guaranteed the concept of global politics it is worth analysing civilian power in their constitutions as the dynamics of change and continuity well by banning the use of force and 29 Birgül Demirtaş & Mahmut Mazlum emphasising peaceful foreign policies. Although German decision makers did Their notorious histories as aggressive try to stick to their role concept created military powers pursuing expansionist in the late 1940s and the German policies in their external relations was public was not yet ready to question the reconstructed as the “other” and they peaceful state identity, the international were thus able to create new identities. circumstances forced Germany to re- In addition to taking lessons from evaluate its traditional foreign policy. their past, the soft and hard pressure This study will focus on those challenges of the Western countries, mainly that pushing Germany to reconsider its of the US, towards democratisation civilian power identity. As mentioned and pacifism, should be taken into above, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the consideration as well. current turmoil in the Middle East will As the bipolar world order came to be considered as three case studies. In an end, it was hoped that the newly each case, German foreign policy will emerging international system would be analysed in order to understand be more peaceful. The concept of peace the continuities and changes. To what dividend became popular and increased extent has Germany been able to the hopes that, as the global system was maintain its traditional peaceful foreign becoming more civilian, civilian powers policy in the new “global disorder” and such as Germany could consolidate the refrain from use of force is the basic peaceful nature of their international research question of this article. Which relations further. However, the regional factors affect its decision to be involved conflicts starting with the Balkans and or not in military interventions in the Middle East and the international various regional and global conflicts? tension following the terrorist attacks What does the German case tell us of 9/11 created an unanticipated about the evolution of civilian powers global turmoil that continues to pose in the current global circumstances? challenges for the civilian powers. The article will consist of five parts. In the first part, it will provide a As the bipolar world order conceptual framework to explain the came to an end, it was hoped approach of realist constructivism and concept of civilian power. Then, in the that the newly emerging second part, it will provide a summary international system would be of German foreign policy during the more peaceful. Cold War. Afterwards, in the third part it will consider German foreign policy 30 Civilian Powers and the Use of Force towards the war in Kosovo; in the of power and norms.8 This study will fourth part it will deal with Germany’s benefit from the realist constructivist approach towards the Afghanistan approach. operation; and in the last part it will explain how Germany reacted to the Libya intervention and the struggle Realist constructivism is based against DAESH.

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