The ghost of war changes the rules
Germany is leaving decades of guilt behind. The Russian invasion of Ukraine shook the foundations of its foreign policy. Suddenly, being the country that “never again” is no longer enough. Now the motto is “never alone again.”
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius made it clear: he wants Germany to be the greatest military power in Europe. And it’s not just rhetoric. The government plans to spend almost 180 billion euros on defense by 2030. It also plans to increase troops to 260,000 soldiers by 2035. It is a huge leap for a country that, after World War II, hid behind its allies.
Two moments that changed everything
It all started with the “Zeitenwende” — the turning point — announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022, just after Russia invaded Ukraine. Then, Friedrich Merz, the current head of government, took the most controversial step: making the debt limit more flexible to finance rearmament. In Germany, that is almost a national sin.
But not everything is so simple. Historical memory weighs. Historian Sönke Neitzel recalls that the ghost of the Holocaust is still present in every military decision. For years, Germany delegated its security to the United States, France or the United Kingdom. Now, that passive role is over.
“Historical memory continues to influence the perception of the German army” — Sönke Neitzel
The change is real, but uncomfortable. German society still debates whether this rearmament is necessary or a betrayal of its past. Meanwhile, Ukraine remains the testing ground for this new Germany: one of kyiv’s greatest supporters, both in weapons and money.
The question that remains is whether this shift will last beyond the war. Or whether, like other diplomatic promises, it will be broken when the noise of the tanks dies down.
