The Transformation of German Multilateralism: Changes in Foreign Policy Discourse since Unification

Abstract

When German foreign policy is being described, a reference to multilateralism is rarely ever omitted. Together with Westbindung, restraint in using military force, and a trading-state orientation, Germany’s preference for multilateral settings is recognized as one of the central elements of its foreign policy. In recent years, a number of studies have shown that, in contrast to realist expectations from the early 1990s, the more powerful unified Germany has continued to embrace this multilateralism. This applies to Germany’s willingness to bind itself to NATO and other European and Euro-Atlantic security institutions, 1 to Germany’s policy within and vis-à-vis the EU,2 and to its foreign policy on a global scale.