Description
Three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared in the Bundestag that the war constituted a watershed moment or Zeitenwende for European security and that as a consequence Germany would initiate a fundamental turnaround in its foreign, security and defence policy. This strategic reorientation would entail, among other things, a 100 billion Euro special investment fund for the Bundeswehr and the pledge to finally fulfil the NATO 2% target. Taking the Zeitenwende rhetoric as its starting point, this paper will analyse to what extent Germany has indeed initiated a structural reboot of its national security posture, considering a) German strategic culture and changing identity narratives pertaining to Germany’s role in the world, b) the structure, equipment, posture and societal status of the German armed forces, c) expert and media discourses regarding German national security and defence matters in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Our main argument is that far from a material dimension alone, the Zeitenwende indicates a reorientation of core strategic narratives, such as military reticence, that have been constitutive for Germany’s post-war historical development and that are now being contested between defenders of the status quo and advocates for change.
