Synopses & Reviews
Lantis examines continuity and change in German foreign policy in the decade since unification. Between 1949 and 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany pursued one of the most consistent foreign policy patterns of any Western power. Restrictions on an assertive German military posture became deeply rooted in the public psyche, in foreign policy tradition, and in the Basic Law. However, the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the unification of Germany have fundamentally changed the international and domestic parameters of German foreign policy. A review of contemporary developments shows that a dramatic evolution of German foreign policy is currently underwayfrom checkbook diplomacy in the Gulf War to the humanitarian relief mission in the Horn of Africa, and from Contact Group diplomacy to airstrikes in Kosovo. To explore this evolution of German foreign policy since unification, Lantis presents an innovative model of external-internal linkages derived from two important areas of scholarship on the role of international crises as catalysts for foreign policy change and the importance of domestic political conditions that ultimately determine the scope and pace of such change. Five original case studies place German political debates about how best to respond to challenges of the post-Cold War era in social and historical context by drawing on discursive analyses of government documents, parliamentary debates, and elite interviews. These cases illustrate the rise of a new consensus on the political left for engagement in global affairs, reinterpretations of historical lessons for contemporary German policy, and the constitutional challenges of global activism since unification. Of particular interest to scholars, students, and researchers involved with German politics, international security policy, and comparative foreign policy.
Synopsis
Between 1949 and 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany pursued one of the most consistent foreign policy patterns of any Western power. This volume examines continuity and change in German foreign policy in the decade since unification.
About the Author
JEFFREY S. LANTIS is Chair of the International Relations Program and Associate Professor of Political Science at The College of Wooster. He is author of Domestic Constraints and the Breakdown of Internaional Agreements (Praeger, 1997) and Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective.
Table of Contents
Machine generated contents note: 1. The Evolution of German Foreign Policy 1 -- A Grand Strategic Opportunity 2 -- Strategic Dilemmas: From Kuwait to Kosovo, and Beyond 4 -- Theoretical Foundations 5 -- Conclusion 10 -- Notes 10 -- 2. The Persian Gulf Crisis and Checkbook Diplomacy 17 -- The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield 18 -- Operation Desert Storm 27 -- The Kurdish Refugee Crisis and Operation Provide Comfort 39 -- Conclusion 47 -- Notes 48 -- 3. Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Relief Operations in Somalia 55 -- Civil War and Famine in the Horn of Africa 56 -- "Mission Creep" and the Breakdown of UNOSOM II 66 -- Notes 73 -- 4. Diplomacy and Delay: Responding to the Civil War in the Former Yugoslavia, 1991-1994 79 -- The Outbreak of Civil War: Recognition of Croatian and Slovenian Independence 80 -- Military Monitoring of the Embargo Against Serbia and Montenegro 88 -- AWACS Patrols and Operation Deny Flight 92 -- Notes 100 -- 5. Action and Engagement: The Bosnia Crisis, 1994-1999 107 -- An Historic Ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court 108 -- Tornado Deployment and Air Strikes in Bosnia 112 -- The Rapid Reaction Force Contingency 116 -- The Dayton Peace Accord and IFOR Troop Deployment in the Balkans 124 -- Concusion 134 -- Notes 134 -- 6. Coercive Diplomacy and the Crisis in Kosovo 141 -- The Federal Elections of 1998 142 -- The Kosovo Crisis 143 -- Operation Allied Force 146 -- The Ground Troops Controversy 150 -- Conclusion 159 -- Notes 160 -- 7. German Foreign Policy for the Twenty-First Century 165 -- Dilemmas and Opportunities as Catalysts for -- Foreign Policy Restructuring 166 -- Domestic Constraints on Foreign Policy Change 172 -- New Trends: Domestic Politics, Economic Integration, and the War on Terrorism 184 -- Conclusion 189 -- Notes 189.