ABSTRACT
Internal semi-sovereignty acts to constrain German chancellors in domestic politics, while the Richtlinienkompetenz (Article 65) and the Adenauer legacy in the public mind presuppose a chancellor who determines the guidelines of policy German chancellors have typically responded by taking a selective interest in foreign and European policy where the restraints are less pressing and articulating a foreign policy vision which mobilises internally and legitimates externally The article focuses centrally on vision as a key element of Chancellor Kohl’s statecraft, its content and utility.
