Foreign policy is more important than ever for the German Chancellor

The spokesman for German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadeful (CDU), Martin Giese, was well prepared for the question: when was the last time a German chancellor opened the annual regular meeting in Berlin of all 230 German ambassadors from around the world? It is an event that is essentially routine, but which the chancellor has now personally elevated to a higher level with his lengthy speech? So when was the last time a meeting of ambassadors was held with the chancellor present?

Giese says: "It goes back a very long way. I consulted with colleagues and we had to look deep into history. The only time a chancellor opened this conference was in 2000 – the then chancellor Gerhard Schröder."

And now Friedrich Merz. After 25 years. It can be said that the world has changed dramatically since then. On Monday, the Chancellor, at the beginning of a multi-day conference at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, gave an almost programmatic speech on the future significance of German foreign policy. He also spoke to the ambassadors in the closed part of the meeting, which is also quite unusual.

Merc: "A new systemic conflict"

In his speech, Merck painted a picture of a world order in which previously firm assumptions are changing almost daily: "What we called the liberal world order is now under pressure from many sides, even within the political West. A new systemic conflict has already erupted between the liberal democracies and the axis of autocracies, which openly seek competition with our democracy." By "axis of autocracies," Merck primarily means China and Russia.

For a long time, the chancellor believes, Germany has been complacent in its false sense of security that global upheavals cannot affect it. This has led to the attitude “that we don’t have to deal with wars out there, or with aggressors and rule-breakers.” This attitude, he says, satisfies an almost isolationist sentiment in society. “But Germany is not an island, even if we like to say we are surrounded by friends.”

Foreign policy as a policy of interests

For Chancellor Friedrich Merz, this means the following: foreign policy is no longer a hobby for a few politicians who have specialized in it, as has been the case for years. Foreign policy is the basis for all areas of politics, and especially for the economy. And it is above all a policy of interests: Germany takes up positions on the international stage that primarily benefit the sales markets of Germany's export-oriented economy.

Germany must be more present, it must play a stronger role, says Merz: "This is a responsibility that, as the economically strongest country on this continent, does not fall to us by chance, nor do we take it on from a position of superiority or arrogance. For us, it stems from the country's geostrategic position. It is a responsibility that we must accept - in our own interests, but also in the interests of our European neighbors and the entire European Union."

SPD supports the chancellor's course

The new German chancellor has often been called the "foreign chancellor" since the beginning of his term. He has appeared at almost every international gathering - with US President Donald Trump in Washington, at numerous meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, at the NATO summit. Critics have accused him of neglecting domestic politics because of this.

But in the coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), such a focus on foreign policy is met with approval. Adis Ahmetović, SPD's foreign policy spokesman, tells DW: "There is certainly no shortage of conflict in the world, and that is why it is good when parliament has a direct connection with the chancellor, so that together we can outline policy guidelines - the government and parliament. And I have to say that this is working very well in the government now."

Ischinger: "Germany is often criticized for its lack of courage"

What does the new course mean for the 230 ambassadors? How will a Germany that is becoming more involved, more present and no longer "an island", as Merz puts it, be perceived?

Wolfgang Ischinger, former ambassador to the US and the UK and long-time head of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), told DW: "Germany may often see itself as a country affected by crises. But that image does not necessarily match the perception of Germany in the world. From the outside, we are an extremely stable and wealthy country. What is increasingly striking abroad, however, is the lack of courage and the lack of willingness to innovate in Germany. This is where our reputation is tarnished, and we are to blame for that."

If the focus of German foreign policy is now less on the protection of human rights, as was the case with former Green Minister Annalena Berbok, and more on the rational protection of Germany's interests as an economic nation, this is actually nothing new for German diplomats around the world.

Ischinger concludes: "The work of German diplomatic missions does not change much. Diplomacy has always been and remains the value-based promotion of our national interests. Even if the context changes, the essence of diplomatic work remains the same." Even if the new chancellor may reach for the phone more often than the old one.