Urlike Guerot and Mark Leonerd, European Council on Foreign Relations, [email protected] , 2011
The Germany Europe needs
“Nothing makes the Germans lose their composure as much as when trying to find themselvcs”, the satirist Kurt Tucholsky once wrote. The most important thing to understand about the new Germany is, perhaps, that this country has rarcly been in such a process of self-reinvention (internally and externally) than it is nów. Germany is feeling the impact of reunification on its political system, its economy and its sociology – and is coming to realise that the model of the Bonn Republic no longer works. However, there is not yet a new national narrative about what Germany should be or wants to be – and what place in Europę it wants to occupy.
Germany needs help to become European agaiu – but its new European role will be different to that of the past. By getting their own (economic) house in order, fcllow European countries will provide Germany with optimal support for its difficult debatę over Europę. The German public needs -rightly or wrongly – to be reassured that it is not being ripped off by its neighbours. Germany also needs help in finding eąuilibrium for its new power in the EU. The best way to persuade Germany to pursue its aspirations for a global role through the EU would bc for other big countries to show a little morę effort to bc European in their choices themselvcs. Germany is too big to fail – it is the biggcst country in Europę, but still not big enough to be Europe’s hegemon. That nieans that the othcr 26 member states need to go through the same process of re-invention that Germany’s elitę have embarkcd upon, and design a new approach to Europę which can secure their national interests at a time when Germany has lost its romantic attachment to the EU. Understanding this could help the rest of Europę get the Germany it needs.
