The 2021 German Federal Election by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783031389306
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Beyond Russia’s War on Ukraine: The U.S.-German Partnership and the Future of Zeitenwende in Europe

Despite the slow start and harsh criticism from other NATO allies, the United States has publicly defended Germany, with President Biden offering praise for Scholz’s leadership and placing strong emphasis on unity (Shalai & Escritt, 2022). While there have been many sources of tension in the aftermath of the Zeitenwende speech, the United States government has had a disciplined approach of avoiding public recriminations with Germany and other close allies. Countries such as Poland, for instance, have been much more critical of Germany than the U.S., considering their proximity to Russia, their inability to reexport their Leopard 2 tanks without Germany’s permission, and the overall pivot towards Asia in U.S. foreign policy. Additionally, while the Leopard debate ended with joint U.S.-German action, it is yet unclear how this will affect the future of the Zeitenwende; as the latest in a long string of (in)action, though, the decision does reflect existing trends.

The cooperation between the United States and Germany, despite hiccups with the tank debate and with concerns of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (specifically the provisions to base production in the United States), nevertheless remains strong. Both populations consider their countries to have strong relations. In Germany, a recent figure of 82% is up drastically from a low of 18% in 2020.

Scholz has, like his American counterpart, praised the U.S.-German partnership. In his August 29, 2022, speech at the Charles University in Prague, Scholz offered another vision for his future of Europe, that both praised Transatlantic cooperation while emphasising the importance of redefining European security. In his speech, Scholz praised Biden as a ‘card-carrying Transatlanticist’ and a ‘blessing for us all,’ but also recognised the United States’ increasing focus towards China and the Asia-Pacific region. In turn, Scholz urged European unity in security matters and advocated for increased budgets and coordinated growth in distinctly European defence capabilities (Scholz, 2022b).

These promises remain unfulfilled. On one hand, both the United States and the German populations consider their relations good. On the other hand, the United States and Germany have differing views of each other’s respective importance. According to an October 17, 2022, Pew survey, 68% of Americans considered Germany a partner in protecting European security, while 81% of Germans considered the same as Americans. However, only 3% of Americans considered Germany to be their most important foreign policy partner, while Germans considered the United States to be their most critical foreign policy partner with 36% (Poushter & Austin, 2022).

These polls highlight an issue in Germany’s Zeitenwende—Germany wants to redefine itself as a leading security and foreign policy actor in Europe, exemplified by the development of its very first national security strategy (NSS). But its blunders and sluggish action—the NSS, for example, was repeatedly delayed until June 2023 (https://​www.​nationalesicherh​eitsstrategie.​de/​National-Security-Strategy-EN.​pdf) due in part to governmental in-fighting—have hindered Berlin from fully occupying that role, instead undermining them especially with partners in central and eastern Europe (Gebauer & Kormbaki, 2023). At the same

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