ABSTRACT
The status of political parties in Germany's political environment is extraordinary. The German "constitution," the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, decrees that "the parties shall participate in forming the political will of the people." Security politics in the major parties tends to be formulated predominantly in "committees of experts" at the national level and "special working groups" of the party factions in the Bundestag. The structure of political parties, if not their internal processes, is highly centralized. The system of public broadcasting in Germany has created a situation where influential positions in the media are closely monitored by the parties. A "moment of truth" may arrive for all mainstream parties in the near future, when they feel the full impact of the voters from the eastern part of Germany, with their significantly different views on security issues.
