German ‘civilness’ and Russian ‘combativeness’ as factors of strategic orientation in the context of international security

Abstract

Both Germany and Russia play important roles in international security
policy, however, their approaches are quite different and sometimes even
contrary to one another. During the presidency of Vladimir Putin, Russia is
doing its best to regain, at any price, the position (more or less) equal to the
USA’s, which it lost 25 years ago. Taking risks and acting unpredictably, Moscow
questions the weak European order that was formed after the Cold War,
undermining Ukraine’s and other neighbours’ integrity. At the same time
Germany is one of the leading states in the Western world and tries to contribute
to peacekeeping and stabilisation. It is governed and at the same time
hampered by the obsessive reference to the Nazi era and a dissonant attitude
toward the use of military force. This weakness not only causes damage to its
own army but also limits Germany’s value in the eyes of its allies.