The German Dilemma : A bachelor’s thesis about strategic culture and Germany’s involvement in the CSDP

Abstract: Trough literature study and interviews, this paper describes Germanys strategic culture and analyze if Germanys involvement in the CSDP is one example of a two-level game where political elites by using the Europeanization process try to affect Germany’s strategic behavior. This paper presents a number of aspects of Germany’s strategic culture and identifies ‘Restraint in military matters’ and‘Aversion to unilateralism’ as the main features of Germanys strategic culture. The research show that there is a belief among the interviewees that Germany’s strategic culture affects Germany’s behavior and that the primary motive for Germany’s involvement in the CSDP is likely to be promote national interest, which is described as more effective defense spending and increasing international influence. However there is also signs, in both the literature and trough the interviews, that some policymakers try to use the Europeanization process in order to influence Germany’s security policy.