Change and continuity in German foreign policy in East Central Europe, 1990-2002

• Main Author: Wu, Pei-Ju
• Published: University of Liverpool 2003
• Subjects: 327; Multilateralism
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.288118

From the Kaiser Reich to the Berlin Republic, the weight of German foreign policy has shifted from national greatness to international co-operation. As international factors have played the major part in foreign policy making, the distinctive principle of German foreign policy has been mutlilateralism since the end of WWII. The thesis investigates Germany's foreign policy in East Central Europe in the period from 1990 to 2002 to explore whether and to what extent Germany's present foreign policy corresponds to multilateralism and if there has been continuity in German foreign policy since WWII. It employs modified neo-realist foreign policy theory assuming that Germany's post-unification foreign policy behaviour will choose to strengthen international institutions in which it itself participates and join in multilateral actions. The thesis argues that the German government assists in the political and economic reforms of the eastern candidates countries in order to speed up their entry to the EU. The major contribution is to provide information and analysis on Germany's East Central European policy after the demise of communism. The thesis demonstrates that Germany's policy in East Central Europe best fits the modified neo-realist prediction of loss of both influence and autonomy because Germany has chosen to multilateralise its relations with weaker states (i. e. East Central European countries), aiming at dealing with them within a multilateral framework (i. e. EU). The overall conclusion is that with the Berlin Republic there has been some change in German foreign policy, but underlying this is a basic continuity in the multilateralism of German post Second World War political culture.