Same Challenges, Diverging Responses: Germany, the UK and European Security

Abstract

This contribution considers British and German relations in the context of European foreign and security policy. Beginning with an appraisal of how the relationship functioned during the Cold War, in the form of the ‘Stille Allianz’, it proceeds by describing how German unification altered the political and geostrategic frameworks of European security. After evaluating the relationship in the late 1990s, a period which saw a certain closeness emerge, the discussion moves on to account for the sharp divergences that transpired in the British and German responses to 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq. The remainder of the analysis highlights British and German perspectives on a number of key contemporary security issues, including ESDP and EU Neighbourhood policy. The principal conclusion is that, despite similar challenges, British and German starting points and long-term goals tend to differ, rather than converge.