ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with government policies on language/s, which are orientated – as a component of a country’s foreign policy – towards foreign states and territories. Basically, any organisation which has enough autonomy and resources at its disposal can operate a language policy. Like the Zentralstelle fur das Auslandwesen, Deutsche Welle, the only German overseas broadcaster, is among the organisations with a potentially considerable impact on the global position of German. Alongside the mediating organisations which operate under the framework conditions of the government, many private societies, associations and foundations also contribute to the external promotion of the German language. The foreign policy theory of utilitarian liberalism does not relate directly to entire states as actors, but rather to the predominant interest groups regarded in terms of power policy.
