The Bundestag as a Champion of Parliamentary Control of Military Missions

Abstract

With more than 140 votes since the end of the Cold War, the Bundestag has been an exceptionally powerful and active parliament in controlling the deployment of armed forces. A close look at the actual deployment votes shows that military missions are contested along a left/right axis: Whereas the radical left is consistently opposed, support grows as one moves further to the right of the political spectrum with the Christian Democrats most supportive. These preferences over substance also translate into preferences over procedure: Political parties on the left whose main concern is to fence the use of armed force tend to prefer strong parliamentary control whereas political parties at the center-right of the political spectrum would like to see more executive discretion in deciding about Bundeswehr deployment.