Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23739770.2016.1182342
Letters On Michael Mertes’ “Too big for Europe, Too Small for the World? The German Question Reconsidered”
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Sir, We can be grateful to Michael Mertes for sharing with us his thoughtful ideas about Germany’s odd position in Europe and the world. He describes Germany as a great continental power (especially in economic terms) that is raising the suspicion of other European states, even as it adheres to a neutral position in world affairs. Although I agree with most of what he has written, I would like to add some of my own thoughts. While Mertes accurately describes Germany’s great economic strength and reminds us of its population of over 80 million people, these factors describe the potential power of a state. In international relations, however, nothing counts more than the hard currency of military power, including the capability to project that power. In this regard, Germany’s position in Europe and the world is not especially threatening. It is no secret that the readiness of the Bundeswehr’s weapon systems is far below the NATO standard of 70 per cent. Its aircraft have been grounded because of a lack of spare parts. The deployment of 5,000– 6,000 soldiers in the heyday of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) campaign in Afghanistan nearly overextended Germany’s armed forces. Germany is quite unable to project military power without the help of its allies. Thus, in terms of military capabilities, there is no reason to be worried about Germany in Europe. Consequently, we may hear European states criticizing Germany for one thing or another; however, there is no visible balancing against it. As Mertes correctly observes, Germans prefer a rather neutralist foreign policy. Let us bear in mind that Germany is a country that sacked a president (Christian Democrat Horst Köhler) in 2010 for mentioning in an interview that Germany had to secure its trading routes and interests abroad—even with military force if necessary. Norms and national identity certainly play a role in Germany’s restrained foreign and security policy. However, I believe they are hardly sufficient to explain the behavior of states. Thus, I would like to add a neo-realist perspective. From that point of view, something curious happened in Europe after the end of the Cold War. Whereas in past centuries the European great powers were very concerned © Israel Council on Foreign Relations under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress (2016)
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