For Germany, arms control is a heartfelt wish. Generations of politicians
have praised it as the answer to the perceived militarization of
foreign policy and as Germany’s contribution to peace. Arms control has
become a key element of the country’s political and diplomatic DNA. When
the Ukraine crisis revived this Cold War concept, Berlin spearheaded
new initiatives for conventional arms control, the most prominent being
the 2016 Steinmeier Initiative, led by then foreign minister Walter Steinmeier.
Yet success has so far been limited. This is not only due to Moscow’s reluctance to engage in such efforts. Too many actors in Berlin apply a Cold War approach to arms control that no longer suits today’s modified security environment. This is even more curious given that over the last twenty years, the expert community have been looking for ways to overcome the chronic crisis of arms control and catapult it into the twenty-first century. Arms control has often been confused with disarmament, meaning to dispose of weapons. Unfortunately, this outlook neglects the very distinct notion of arms control as a military strategic tool to manage risk. Today, Germany seeks (to some extent) to repeat the proven Cold War experience of disarmament. Reducing numbers seems easier than controlling strategy. It has also the advantage of nicely fitting the overall resurgence of Cold War rhetoric—but this is not the case.
Yet success has so far been limited. This is not only due to Moscow’s reluctance to engage in such efforts. Too many actors in Berlin apply a Cold War approach to arms control that no longer suits today’s modified security environment. This is even more curious given that over the last twenty years, the expert community have been looking for ways to overcome the chronic crisis of arms control and catapult it into the twenty-first century. Arms control has often been confused with disarmament, meaning to dispose of weapons. Unfortunately, this outlook neglects the very distinct notion of arms control as a military strategic tool to manage risk. Today, Germany seeks (to some extent) to repeat the proven Cold War experience of disarmament. Reducing numbers seems easier than controlling strategy. It has also the advantage of nicely fitting the overall resurgence of Cold War rhetoric—but this is not the case.
The necessary adaptation goes beyond technicalities and straight into the prevailing mindset: arms control seems to be about restricting the weapons of the other. In fact, it is about mutual strategy control to ensure stability together, rather than against each other. It allows the risk of war to be minimized by limiting one’s own military options, which the adversary perceives as destabilizing. Options—or what militaries call capabilities—are based on far more military aspects than a gun and its size. It is about the elements that are needed to organize war as an effective political instrument, for example, doctrines and leadership.
Read more: How Germany Should Change Its Approach to Arms Control - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Yet success has so far been limited. This is not only due to Moscow’s reluctance to engage in such efforts. Too many actors in Berlin apply a Cold War approach to arms control that no longer suits today’s modified security environment. This is even more curious given that over the last twenty years, the expert community have been looking for ways to overcome the chronic crisis of arms control and catapult it into the twenty-first century. Arms control has often been confused with disarmament, meaning to dispose of weapons. Unfortunately, this outlook neglects the very distinct notion of arms control as a military strategic tool to manage risk. Today, Germany seeks (to some extent) to repeat the proven Cold War experience of disarmament. Reducing numbers seems easier than controlling strategy. It has also the advantage of nicely fitting the overall resurgence of Cold War rhetoric—but this is not the case.
Yet success has so far been limited. This is not only due to Moscow’s reluctance to engage in such efforts. Too many actors in Berlin apply a Cold War approach to arms control that no longer suits today’s modified security environment. This is even more curious given that over the last twenty years, the expert community have been looking for ways to overcome the chronic crisis of arms control and catapult it into the twenty-first century. Arms control has often been confused with disarmament, meaning to dispose of weapons. Unfortunately, this outlook neglects the very distinct notion of arms control as a military strategic tool to manage risk. Today, Germany seeks (to some extent) to repeat the proven Cold War experience of disarmament. Reducing numbers seems easier than controlling strategy. It has also the advantage of nicely fitting the overall resurgence of Cold War rhetoric—but this is not the case.
The necessary adaptation goes beyond technicalities and straight into the prevailing mindset: arms control seems to be about restricting the weapons of the other. In fact, it is about mutual strategy control to ensure stability together, rather than against each other. It allows the risk of war to be minimized by limiting one’s own military options, which the adversary perceives as destabilizing. Options—or what militaries call capabilities—are based on far more military aspects than a gun and its size. It is about the elements that are needed to organize war as an effective political instrument, for example, doctrines and leadership.
Read more: How Germany Should Change Its Approach to Arms Control - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
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