No abstract

This chapter examines German NATO policy in the post-Cold War era. It addresses the impact on German policy of external developments such as the waning US interest in Europe, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the rise of China. It also considers domestic challenges, such as the end of the Merkel era and German political debates over the usefulness of defence spending and nuclear sharing, and analyses their effect on Germany’s role in NATO. It analyses how German policymakers and the German public perceive NATO and their own role in the Alliance, how NATO membership fits into Germany’s strategic culture, and how the German threat perception fits into NATO. It also looks at German contributions to the Alliance—in the operational space, the financial realm, and in terms of Alliance cohesion. It addresses the effects of the Trump presidency on how Germany views NATO’s reliability and solidity and examines how Germany conceives of the division of labour between NATO and other multilateral fora, specifically the European Union. Finally, the chapter reflects on future challenges to German NATO policy: the rise of China, the domestic debate over nuclear participation, the development of the EU as a defence actor, and the consequences of underinvestment in the Bundeswehr.