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Change in German Strategic Culture After the End of the Cold War

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Change in German Strategic Culture After the End of the Cold War FROM GUILT TO RESPONSIBILITY AND BEYOND? Department of Political and Economic Studies University of Helsinki Finland FROM GUILT TO RESPONSIBILITY AND BEYOND? CHANGE IN GERMAN STRATEGIC CULTURE AFTER THE END OF THE COLD WAR Antti Seppo ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be presented, with the permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Helsinki, for public examination in Lecture Room 13, University Main Building, on 19 May 2017, at 12 noon. Helsinki 2017 ISBN 978-951-51-3051-8 SDSHUEDFN ,6%1 3') Unigrafia Helsinki 2017 ABSTRACT This study focuses on aspects of change in German strategic culture, i.e. on the changes in ways of thinking about and pursuing security and defence pol- icy and the views on the questions of peace, war and the use of military force, in particular after the end of the Cold War. The overarching aim of the study is to provide a novel reading on German strategic culture, and this has been done by shifting the focus of research on strategic culture from the study of continuity to the study of change. This enables us to tell better stories about strategic cultures – both in terms of how internal and external challenges – leading to questions about the continuity of strategic cultural patterns and how strategic culture is shaped by the social and political reality of the strate- gic actors. The first main contribution of the study is to question the mantra of con- tinuity that has been the primary object of study in the existing strategic cul- ture research. This mantra has ultimately led to a rather stale and static state of affairs in terms of the contributions that strategic culture research is able to make in the field of International Relations. Instead, the study argues for a research agenda that identifies the nature, mechanisms and outcomes of strategic cultural change. The study achieves this by critically assessing the existing accounts of strategic cultural change and creating an analytical framework that stresses both the processes and outcomes of strategic cultural change. This framework is informed by critical realist metatheory since it enables us to move ahead of the epistemological impasse of the existing stud- ies by focusing on the ontological aspects of strategic culture. This framework identifies the ‘experience of warfare’ as the primary mechanism of change in strategic cultures. The second key contribution of the study is to apply this analytical frame- work in the study of German strategic culture. The empirical case studies cover the German strategic cultural track record since the end of World War II, with a clear focus on the developments after the end of the Cold War. These case studies show, firstly, how shifts within the normative structure of German strategic culture have shaped German views on the use of military force, and, subsequently, how they led to shifts and changes in German stra- tegic practices. Secondly, the case studies underline the role of external shocks (e.g. the massacre at Srebrenica) in triggering change within German strategic culture. Thirdly, the case studies also provide a basis for a critique of some of the more widely accepted claims regarding German security and defence policy, such as the notion of ‘normalisation’ or ‘Sonderweg’ (special path). Finally, the analysis also suggests that counterfactual argumentation can be a useful analytical tool in assessing the importance of some of these developments in the evolution of German strategic culture. v The third primary contribution of the study is a critical assessment of the process of coming to terms with the German past and how this affects Ger- man strategic culture. The study stresses the importance of socio-cognitive factors in the evolution of strategic cultures and identifies the shift from guilt to responsibility as one of the key changes in post-Cold War German strate- gic culture. Furthermore, the study recognizes the continuing impact and relevance of the German past on the further development of German strate- gic culture, even though the focus of the German debate has partly shifted from whether Germany can use military force to a discussion on the means and ends of the use of military force. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was funded by the The Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Oskar Öflund Foundation. Also, The Finnish Graduate School in Political Studies (Politu) assisted the research by providing travel grants. I am grateful for their support without which this thesis would never have seen light of day. Assistant Professor Kai Oppermann (Sussex University) and Professor Pekka Visuri acted as the premilinary examiners for the dissertation. I wish to thank them for a thorough and careful reading of the manuscript and the constructive comments and criticism they have provided. I am mostly indebted to Professor Tuomas Forsberg whose support throughout the years has been invaluable. The thesis has greatly benefited from his in-depth knowledge on Germany and German foreign and security policy. Tuomas has not only been the supervisor of my thesis, but a boss, a colleague and a friend. Tuomas is, indeed, one of the good guys out there and I consider myself lucky for having been supervised by him. Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs Teija Tiilikainen and Professor Henri Vogt have also had a considerable impact on the way things turned out for me. I wish to thank Teija for giving me the opportunity to work in her EU research project for a couple of years and hone my skills as a researcher under her guidance. I also wish to thank Henri, who is really skilful at listening to your rants and incomplete ideas regarding the disserta- tion and giving you really useful advice. I am also grateful to the custos of the public examination, Professor Heikki Patomäki, who has provided steadfast support, guidance and critical commentary especially in the final stages of the process. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to Dr Juha Vuori and university lecturer Riikka Kuusisto for their insightful commentary on the manuscript. Dr Bastian Giegerich and Dr Heiko Biehl have also been invalu- able contacts during my PhD studies, and provided me with the opportunity to be part of an international research group on strategic cultures in Europe. More generally, I am grateful to the staff of the Department of Translation Studies for providing some of the most useful courses I have attended during my studies at the University of Helsinki and keeping my German at a reason- ably understandable level. Similarly, I am thankful to the staff of the De- partment of Political and Economic Studies for providing me the conceptual and analytical skills to engage in social scientific research. I want especially to thank Education Planning Officer Marjukka Laakso for her benevolent attitude towards an MA student who, while being in Germany, had her print out the whole MA thesis and deliver it for examination! The Network for European Studies, also known as the ‘corridor’, deserves a special commendation. The corridor provided ‘the scientific bedrock’ for me especially early on in my PhD studies. I wish to express my warm thanks vii to everyone with whom I had the pleasure to share the experience. I want especially to mention Mikko Tyrväinen with whom we tried to figure out the intricacies of how the EU uses its power and Marie-Louise Hindsberg, whose presence in the corridor was indispensable for all of us. I also want to flag the role of the corridor’s directors (Teija, Henri and Research Director Juhana Aunesluoma) during those years. All three were incredibly skilled at crafting an academic atmosphere in which a particular accent was put on the fruitful and constructive interaction between junior and senior researchers. I have especially fond memories of the monthly ‘in-doors picnics’ that provided a nice platform for catching-up and chatting about all things related to the PhD process and beyond. Apart from colleagues I am lucky to have been blessed with friends, who have stood by me through the whole PhD endeavour. While it is not possible to thank them all here, a few words need to be said. Dr Iain Ferguson shared with me the ups and downs of the life of a PhD student. Iain is a great conversationist and there is nothing better than to chat about politics, science and life with Iain in the sauna heat. Henri Purje and Tommi Wallenius, whom I got to know during the early stages of my MA studies, are a couple of cool dudes whose cultivated company I’ve enjoyed immensily. I hope the feeling is mutual. I’ve been friends with Juhani Horelli as long as I can remember. We’ve shared so much during the past 20 years that capturing all of it would require a book of its own. I’m sure it would become a best-seller. I want to thank all my friends for their support, humor and understanding throughout the years. Last but not least, there is my family. I want to thank my big sister for being generous with her time and designing the HOHJDQW covers for thisthesis. Iwant to thank my big brother for donating me all his unused clothes and shoes over the years. I’ve managed to acquire a lot of books thanks to him. I want to thank my dear parents, Pirkko Seppo and Juha Seppo for their unconditional support and love. This thesis is dedicated to them. ,Q3XQDYXRUL+HOVLQNL $SULO $QWWL6HSSR viii CONTENTS 1 Germany and strategic culture: the prophecy of continuity .................................................................................................... 1 1.1. The initial theoretical premise: German strategic culture as a culture of strategic continuity ................................................................... 5 1.2.
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