TY - GEN
T1 - Welche Macht darf es denn Sein?
T2 - Tracing 'Power' in German Foreign Policy DIscourse
AU - Berenskötter, Felix
AU - Stritzel, Holger
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Association for the Study of German Politics.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The relationship between ‘Germany’ and ‘power’ remains a sensitive issue. While observers tend to agree that Germany has regained the status of the most powerful country in Europe, there is a debate whether that is to be welcomed or whether that is a problem. Underpinning this debate are views, both within Germany and amongst its neighbours, regarding the kind of power Germany has, or should (not) have. Against this backdrop, the article reviews the dominant role conceptions used in the expert discourse on German foreign policy since the Cold War that depict Germany as a particular type of ‘power’. Specifically, we sketch the evolution of three prominent conceptions (constrained power, civilian power, hegemonic power) and the recent emergence of a new one (shaping power). The article discusses how these labels have emerged to give meaning to Germany’s position in international relations, points to their normative and political function, and to the limited ability of such role images to tell us much about how Germany actually exercises power.
AB - The relationship between ‘Germany’ and ‘power’ remains a sensitive issue. While observers tend to agree that Germany has regained the status of the most powerful country in Europe, there is a debate whether that is to be welcomed or whether that is a problem. Underpinning this debate are views, both within Germany and amongst its neighbours, regarding the kind of power Germany has, or should (not) have. Against this backdrop, the article reviews the dominant role conceptions used in the expert discourse on German foreign policy since the Cold War that depict Germany as a particular type of ‘power’. Specifically, we sketch the evolution of three prominent conceptions (constrained power, civilian power, hegemonic power) and the recent emergence of a new one (shaping power). The article discusses how these labels have emerged to give meaning to Germany’s position in international relations, points to their normative and political function, and to the limited ability of such role images to tell us much about how Germany actually exercises power.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068235344&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09644008.2019.1631808
DO - 10.1080/09644008.2019.1631808
M3 - Special issue
AN - SCOPUS:85068235344
SN - 0964-4008
VL - 30
SP - 31
EP - 50
JO - German Politics
JF - German Politics
ER -