Foreign and security policy in Germany’s election: Why it matters

Ahead of the 2017 German federal elections, scheduled for 24 September 2017, LSE EuroppBlog previewed some of the key issues at stake.

In this article Inez von Weitershausen assessed the potential impact of the elections on German foreign and security policy. She argued that although both mainstream parties – Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the social-democratic SPD – have broadly similar agendas, the actions Germany takes abroad will be of vital importance to how domestic issues, such as the migration crisis and terrorism, play out within the country.

There was a separate preview feature on defence and security policy. Lars Miethke provided a comprehensive primer on the role of defence policy in the campaign, and how each of the country’s main parties viewed Germany’s future on the international stage.

• Primary Source

Carnegie Europe: Strategic Europe, 05.09.17: The Big Holes in Germany’s Election Campaign http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/72995?lang=en

ESO: Key Source: German federal election, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/german-federal-election-2017/

ESO: Background information: Europe in the German federal elections: What do the manifestos say? http://www.europeansources.info/record/europe-in-the-german-federal-elections-what-do-the-manifestos-say/

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