Lessons of the Hindu Kush: the mission of the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan and its impact on German security policy

Abstract

The goal of the present paper is to evaluate the impact of Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan on the security policy of the Federal German Republic (FRG). The author focuses on basic dimensions of security policy — its priorities, relations with partners, participation in conflict resolution operations in different parts of the world. Special attention is paid to the influence of the “Afghanistan experience” on German approaches to the European common security and defense policy. The author comes to the conclusion that, in spite of unchanged principles of security policy, the German government would refrain from participation in large-scale and prolonged operations. Such abstention could provoke tensions with partners and also reduce Germany’s potential to define the security policy of the EU and NATO. Still the interest of the FRG in the development of European integration in the sphere of security and defense could considerably increase against the background of Ukrainian crisis. Refs 33.