Populism and foreign policy in Germany

The rise of populist parties on the far right and left poses serious challenges not only to democratic forces in Germany, but also to Germany's role in Europe and internationally. Their anti-liberal proposals and nationalist rhetoric are hardly compatible with multilateralism and Germany's traditional commitment to global governance. This paper first outlines the fundamental aspects of German foreign policy. It then analyses public perceptions of these fundamental aspects in order to identify possible divergences between the German government's foreign policy and public opinion. The third section examines the foreign policy positions of two populist parties. Finally, it analyses whether the positions of these two populist parties have had an impact on the foreign policy approaches of the traditional parties and on the federal government's own foreign policy.