The economic and geopolitical weight in the balance of international relations: the case of German-Russian relations
Journal: DSpace repository (University of Tartu)
Year: 2017

Germany’s relationship with Russia has long been regarded as ‘special’ and ‘strategic’, and the evolution of Ostpolitik throughout the years has never lost sight of the original purpose: to increase ties between East and West. The annexation of Crimea marked a turning point in their relations, accounting for a major change in Germany’s Russia policy and opened the debate among scholars about continuity and change in German foreign policy. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of foreign policy