Gastkommentar - Global Challenges: In der neuen Weltordnung fehlt Deutschland, was Kanada schon hat
Kanadier glauben an den Einfluss von Mittelmächten. Ottawa gelingt es offenbar besser als Berlin, der Bevölkerung Selbstvertrauen zu vermitteln, meint Sicherheitsexpertin Sophie Eisentraut.
Recent joint announcement from Germany and Canada to collaborate on building a fleet of submarines has been hailed by many as an encouraging sign of strengthening the alliance between these two influential nations. Canada is seen as an ideal leader, with Prime Minister Mark Carney advocating for a self-directed path for middle powers, even as far back as January at Davos.
Germany's economic prowess and central role in Europe could greatly contribute to this direction. The symbolism of closer defense cooperation, while significant, belies the vastly different perspectives Canadians and Germans hold on the global landscape and the prerequisites for successful middle power politics. This is suggested by a survey conducted for the Munich Security Conference in July.
Societies display stark differences in their expectations from their own country, their confidence in its international capability, and their readiness to embrace new forms of cooperation. Canadians are more confident than Germans regarding the effectiveness of middle power action, with 37% of Canadian respondents believing that states beyond the US and China could wield significant, independent influence on international politics.
In contrast, only 23% of Germans share this view. A majority of 52% in Germany sees the world dominated by Washington and Beijing.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
