Trunov Philipp Olegovich – Ph.D. in Political Sciences, Leading Researcher, INION RAS
In the XXIst century, the ideological component of state activity has been transformed into the value and information component. Its importance has increased significantly in the process of forming a new world order. At the same time, the difficulties in incorporating values and principles of liberal democracy on the global level have increased significantly. Moreover, difficulties have emerged not only outside the «collective West» but also within it. The paper examines the value and information crises facing liberal democracies and their reflection in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. It examines Germany’s reaction to the political phenomena associated with the departure from multilateralism – Brexit and the policies of Donald Trump (Trumpism). The value dimensions of Germany’s relations with non-Western powers, especially Russia, China and Iran, are traced, as the Euro-Atlantic community’s confrontation with those states deepens. Furthermore, the evolution of the mutual perception between Germany and Egypt, which is emerging as a significant centre of influence in Africa, is examined. The author shows the value orientations of German foreign policy during political crises or armed conflicts in several countries: Venezuela, Libya and Syria. In all cases, the attributes of liberal democratic values were taken into account by the FRG when choosing a focal partner. Failures in the incorporation of liberal democratic values are illustrated by the examples of Afghanistan and Mali. The conclusion is drawn on the difficulty of moving the FRG to a position of a full-fledged global player in the context of the value crisis of the «Western democracies» as a whole.
Germany, liberal democracy, multilateralism, Brexit, Trumpism, Cold War, attribution.
Download text