German “pacifism” and the Zeitenwende
Year: 2025

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a major reorientation of German security policy, including a significant increase in defence spending as well as arms deliveries to Ukraine. Scholz's announcement of a Zeitenwende (sea change) has triggered a renewed debate about continuity and change in German security policy, focusing on (1) whether the shift represents a major reorientation or a minor adaptation and (2) how to make sense of this in li