| ID | 072804 |
| Title Proper | Germany |
| Other Title Information | security provider in the Schroder/Fischer era |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kubbig, Bernd W ; Nitsche, Axel |
| Publication | 2005. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | From 1998 until it ended in 2005, the Social Democratic-Green coalition government rejected an explicit position on the necessity of a global or regional European shield, signalling scepticism towards such plans. At the same time the Schröder/Fischer cabinet, after an intense debate, was in favour of developing the tripartite MEADS system for the protection of soldiers deployed in out-of-area activities. The major missile defence-related issues examined in this article suggest that the changing identity of Germany as a trading power is in the final analysis the most credible explanation for these choices. In accordance with its greater stress on being a politically sovereign/more assertive country, the Federal Republic of Germany mutated during the Schröder/Fischer era from being a reluctant exporter of security to being a selective one. With this important exception, the missile defence-related decisions made in the Schröder/Fischer era do not support the conclusion that missile defence in general has become a stable and important element of the self-understanding of Germany and of its foreign policy. |
| `In' analytical Note | Contemporary Security Policy Vol. 26, No. 3; Dec 2005: p520-543 |
| Journal Source | Contemporary Security Policy Vol: 26 No 3 |
| Key Words | Germany ; Missile Defence ; Foreign Policy Identity ; Internal Politics ; Defence Industries ; Security Policy ; MEADS ; Medium Extended Air Defence Systems |