MSC presents new report on German foreign and security policy

We are in the midst of a turn of an era in world politics, in which the supposed foreign policy certainties of the Federal Republic of Germany that have existed for decades are dissolving. Thus, we need "turning times for German foreign and security policy." This thesis is the core of the special edition of the Munich Security Report "Zeitenwende | Wendezeiten" , which Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), presented to more than 100 guests at the German Historical Museum in Berlin on 1 October 2020. This event, which was the first physical one of the MSC since months, took place under strict hygiene regulations.

Six years after the "Munich consensus" of the MSC 2014, at which Joachim Gauck, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that Germany had to assume more responsibility internationally and engage " earlier, more decisively, and more substantially", world politics has changed dramatically, according to Wolfgang Ischinger. The new international environment is characterized by the weakening of an international order built over decades, the rise of China, the questioning of multilateral principles, and the return of global power politics that disregard globally accepted norms. We are experiencing a Zeitenwende, a turning point in world politics, which provides the opportunity for Wendezeiten, a time of change. In these times of change Germany should see itself as Europe's "enabling power". The EU itself must become an actor capable to play a strong role at the world stage. This would require, among other things, the abolition of the national veto on foreign policy decisions.

Following the presentation of the report by Tobias Bunde, Director of Research & Policy at the MSC, Ambassador Boris Ruge, Vice-Chairman of the MSC, moderated a discussion with experts from important partner countries. Participants included Sławomir Dębski, Director at The Polish Institute of International Affairs, Kadri Liik, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Robin Niblett, Director at Chatham House, and Nathalie Tocci, Special Advisor to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Director at the Istituto Affari Internazionali.

In the discussion the panelists agreed that Germany had realized that it has to assume “more responsibility,” but the participants had different opinions on whether Germany was also prepared to do so in practice. All those present stressed the need that Europe acts in a united way and has the appropriate resources and means at its disposal to address the new realities in world politics.

Watch the event in full length here:

The fact that German foreign and security politics needs turning times became also clear during the debate between members of the German Bundestag on the media ship Pioneer One in the evening. There, the key topics of the report were discussed by four parliamentarians: Franziska Brantner, Spokesperson for European Policy of the Parliamentary Group Alliance 90/The Greens, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Deputy Chairman of the FDP Parliamentary Group, Katja Leikert, Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, and Nils Schmid, Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the SPD Parliamentary Group. Gordon Repinski, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Media Pioneer, moderated the debate.

The question was asked to what extent the promises of the "Munich consensus" of 2014 have been fulfilled. The assessment ranged from the opinion that the consensus no longer existed to the assessment that there is "more light than shadow" in the implementation of the objectives.

Watch the recording of the parliamentary conversation in full length below:

Both events made it clear that there is an enormous need for discussion about the role of Germany and Europe in the midst of this dramatic turn of an era in world politics. The Munich Security Conference hopes that the report will contribute to this discussion.

The Munich Security Report Special Editions complement the Munich Security Report, which is annually published in February ahead of the Munich Security Conference. Each MSR Special Edition is dedicated to an essential and current topic of international foreign and security policy. This special edition "Zeitenwende | Wendezeiten" on German foreign and security policy is the first such publication, which will be followed at occasional intervals by further issues in the future.