The Responsibility to Protect and Germany’s 2013 Election The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) or “Schutzverantwortung” has made significant inroads in terms of cementing itself on the German domestic political scene. With the elections just ten days away, how do the major parties plan to deal with the principle? How does it figure, if at all, in their policy platforms? What can we expect from the major parties regarding their support for RtoP for 2013 and beyond? This brief provides answers to these questions for an English-speaking audience. The Political Parties of Germany and the post-communist ruling left wing party of East Germany. It is an outright Germany has five major political parties left party and received 11.9% of the likely to win a significant percentage of the ballot in 2009. vote on 22nd September 2013. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) The Christian Democrat Union (CDU) along with its sister party, the Christian The CDU has not had much to say on RtoP, Social Union (CSU), is the country’s main which is unfortunate considering its conservative party and picked up 33.8% position as the senior partner in the current of the vote in the 2009 election. ruling coalition. There is no explicit mention of the concept in its 2013-2017 policy The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is a platform and it seems reluctant to take a classical liberal party and the junior leadership role on the issue, both partner in the current ruling coalition domestically and internationally. The party with the CDU/CSU, having received tends to take a more indirect approach, 14.6% of the vote in 2009. implicitly touching on notions including human rights and political freedom as well Alliance ‘90/The Greens (Bündnis as the prevention of genocide and crimes 90/Die Grünen), formed in 1993 from against humanity. the merger of the two political parties following the end of the Cold War, is The lack of a firm party position on the issue Germany’s green party and typically sits has not stopped certain individual party on the centre left of the political members voicing opinions on the matter. In spectrum but does not always permit a speech entitled “Criteria for Foreign such easy categorisation. It represents a Missions” in 2011, Roderich Kiesewetter, a perhaps more pragmatic and centrist line CDU politician and former Bundeswehr than many Green parties and 2009 saw general staff officer remarked that if the its biggest election success to date with Responsibility to Protect were a decisive 10.7% of the ballot. criterion for participation in foreign missions, intervention would be required The Social Democratic Party of everywhere that massive human rights Germany (SPD) is a traditional centre-left violations occur. This points to a cautious party with its roots in, and much of its and sceptical approach to the application of support coming from, the labour the principle as a guiding principle of movement. It is presently the largest foreign policy and perhaps also to an opposition party having picked up 23.0% attitude that only sees RtoP through a of the vote at the last federal election. narrow military lens. The Left Party (Die Linke) is a recent The most promising position from an amalgamation (since 2007) of a individual member is perhaps that of breakaway left wing faction of the SPD Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière. In a www.genocide-alert.de www.schutzverantwortung.de February 2013 speech entitled “Taking Florian Toncar, deputy chairman of the International Responsibility: Germany’s FDP parliamentary group, certainly Role in the World Today”, de Maizière made stands out from his colleagues on the it clear that he saw Germany’s international issue. In 2009, he wrote that in memory responsibility as entailing a Responsibility of Kosovo and Rwanda, it was the duty of to Protect, that political solutions were not the international community to protect always sufficient for achieving this end and people from unscrupulous governments. that Germany had to work with the UN on He further remarked that he hoped RtoP military missions involving the maintenance established itself in the international of peace. He thanked the Greens for system of human rights protection but elevating the issue for discussion in the cautioned that military intervention parliament and seemed supportive of their should only be considered as a measure proposal that guiding principles be of last resort in extreme emergencies. established for Bundeswehr missions. He The extent to which such an attitude is also outlined four such potential guidelines commonplace amongst FDP colleagues is himself, all of which seemed to arise from hard to gauge but the topic at least comes RtoP principles. Perhaps the only caveat up in the parliamentary group enough to from this speech was his interpretation of warrant its inclusion in the party’s policy RtoP as a “right to intervention” – an platform. attitude that may strike some as more reminiscent of humanitarian intervention The current Foreign Minister, Guido doctrine. Westerwelle, is one of the most prominent FDP politicians in Germany. Positions and opinions of certain individual He appears to be somewhat of an RtoP members notwithstanding, the CDU has yet sceptic, remarking in a 2012 interview to state a clear party position on the issue. that some of the commentary on the As the senior coalition partner in the Responsibility to Protect civilians would present government, it has dealt with RtoP have been unthinkable for him five years issues as they have arisen on the ago and that there is certainly a strand of international stage (e.g. during the Libya “neo-hawk” thinking in the debate in crisis) but has not taken a leadership role. Germany concerning military At present, it does not seem to be a party interventions. Westerwelle was also priority. Foreign Minister when Germany, as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in The Liberal Democrats (FDP) 2011/12, opted to abstain on UNSC Resolution 1973 concerning Libya in The junior partner in the current ruling 2011. coalition has been a little more proactive on the matter, even including a brief The FDP seems to support a generic mention of RtoP in its policy platform, strengthening of international Bürgerprogramm 2013, p.88: institutions to deal with international problems. Wanting Germany to be a good “We want a further strengthening of the international citizen, it supports the international criminal jurisdiction such as, for notions of human rights, international example, strengthening of the International application of criminal law, etc. but does Criminal Court. Under the auspices of the not make RtoP a major part of its foreign United Nations, we want to define and further policy platform. Its focus lies on develop the human rights notion of prevention, indicating an unspoken 'Responsibility to Protect'. Under the pillars "to cautious attitude towards violations of prevent, to react and to rebuild", the strengthening of prevention should be of sovereignty and military applications of particular importance.” RtoP. However, the explicit mention of www.genocide-alert.de www.schutzverantwortung.de the concept in its election platform is broad and includes the possibility of the certainly a positive sign. use of military force in emergency cases. The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die The Greens have dealt extensively with Grünen) the issue in various media both through their own party mechanisms, as well as The Greens have no doubt taken the lead through the furthering of debate at the on RtoP in Germany. To this end, they federal level – most notably in the have devoted almost four pages of their Bundestag. They have shown themselves 2013 policy platform document to the to be the most active supporters of RtoP theme under the heading “A World of on the German political landscape. Peace and the Responsibility to Protect”. Whilst accepting that such a world must The Social Democrats (SPD) ultimately be reached politically, their conception of RtoP recognises that The SPD, currently Germany’s largest military force may sometimes be a opposition party, has taken a similar line necessary emergency measure to halt to the Greens, although it has not dealt genocide. This followed on from the with the issue as prominently and discussion at the party conference in thoroughly. November 2012, where the topic of The SPD has included a somewhat Responsibility to Protect was given cautious mention of RtoP in its election considerable attention and a resulting policy document Regierungsprogramm 10-page resolution was published. 2013-2017, p. 113: Further to the extended clarification and “We stand for a strengthening of the United discussion of their own party position in Nations system. We want to put the United the lead up to the election, the Greens Nations, with its universal membership and have sought to have the matter debated legitimacy, at the centre of political in greater detail at a federal level. This globalisation. We support the reform of the United Nations into a powerful and efficient culminated in the submission of a motion organisation. In terms of social democratic th to the Bundestag on 9 May 2012 peace politics, we want to commit ourselves to entitled “Developing and Effectively the strengthening of crisis and conflict Implementing the Responsibility to prevention and the protection of human rights. Protect”. The title of the submission The principle of Responsibility to Protect must indicates the broad support the norm primarily focus on civilian measures.” receives from the Greens; support further defended and examined in the Prior to this, it had introduced a motion motion itself. It also contains 28 into the Bundestag entitled “Further recommendations to achieve the goal of Developing the International developing and implementing the Responsibility to Protect” on 29th Responsibility to Protect, a notable one February 2012.