ABSTRACT
In the contemporary German foreign policy debate, “realists” or “traditionalists” emphasize the importance of underlying continuity in European diplomatic history and suggest the enduring relevance of classical balance of power and Realpolitik perspectives. Factors of power, geography, identity, and developmental timing have historically combined to turn the question of Germany’s place in the international arena into a fundamental problem for German foreign policy and a basic feature in the development of German foreign policy culture. The Federal Republic’s interest in the economic transformation of Eastern Europe has its roots in a long-standing tradition of German economic involvement in the region, going back centuries. Germany’s new Scharnierpolitik is evolving, both in terms of definition and execution, thus rendering proclamations of optimism or pessimism rather premature. The geopolitical imperatives are almost certainly far compelling than the political biographies and ideological proclivities of leaders and diplomats in a Germany that is “a creature of the West” but has “a foot in the East.”
