Germany: Uncertain Of Its Role In The World

Sally McNamara / September 07, 2009

Germans will go to the polls on September 27 to elect a new Chancellor and Government. Unsurprisingly, the economy is the dominant issue. But the lack of debate over the mission in Afghanistan – where Germany is the third largest troop contributor after the United States and the UK – is astonishing.

The leading candidates for the Chancellorship – current conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition-partner, socialist Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier – have seemingly come to a tacit understand to park Afghanistan as a campaign issue. The War remains extremely unpopular in Germany and therefore politically toxic. In fact, despite overwhelming approval for President Obama and a sharp upswing in U.S. favorability ratings among Germans, the public disapproves of his troop increases to Afghanistan by 63 percent to 32 percent in favor. (more…)