The relationship between Germany and Russia is Europe’s most important link with the largest country on the continent. But despite Germany’s unparalleled knowledge and historical experience, its policymakers struggle to accept that Moscow’s efforts to rebalance Europe at the cost of the cohesion of the EU and NATO are an attack on Germany’s core interests. This book explains the scale of the challenge facing Germany in managing relations with a changing Russia. It analyses how successive German governments from 1991 to 2014 misread Russian intentions, until Angela Merkel sharply recalibrated German and EU policy towards Moscow. The book also examines what lies behind efforts to revise Merkel’s bold policy shift, including attitudes inherited from the GDR and the role of Russian influence channels in Germany.
Cuprins
Introduction 1 The weight of history 2 The development of German attitudes towards Russia 3 The miracle of reunification 4 A failure to read Russia correctly 5 2014: abandonment of illusions 6 An unfulfilled economic relationship 7 Russian influence in Germany 8 The outlook Conclusion Index
Despre autor
Andrew Monaghan is Academic Visitor at St Antony’s College, Oxford and a Senior Research Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House