Germany's Unnecessary Hegemony Berlin's Seeking of ‘Tranquility, Profit and Power’ in the Absence of Systemic Constraints

Based on the realist theory of international relations, this article analyses whether Germany has any incentives to seek (regional) hegemony. It concludes that under the current systemic circumstances – in which the country's survival is ensured by the United States – Germany has no reason to become a hegemon, which is normally a strategy to escape the perils of the anarchic international system. Germany can and does focus on the pursuit of its national interest in fields other than security. Unless the international system faces dramatic change, German foreign policy behaviour is unlikely to evolve anytime soon.

Published in Politics 35(2), June 2015, pp. 172-182. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9256.12066/abstract