Photo Gallery Germany's Foreign Policy Backlog
Trans-Atlantic allies embrace: Germany is Washington's most important European ally. But the next administration will be called upon to make some tough decisions in international crisis management.
Both the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats were relieved not to have to make any tough decisions over the past four years in power. Instead, they argued over the conditions under which German politicians should interact with dictators, warlords and the Dalai Lama.
The toughest issue will be that of German troops in Afghanistan. The Americans will be calling on Germany for more assistance. This would probably mean increasing its contribution in all areas, including police, military and reconstruction personnel, as well as boosting its financial contribution.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier attends a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2006. Some analysts believe that US President Barack Obama will urge his allies to make decisions on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The American nuclear bombs in storage at the Büchel airbase have also been a source of conflict. The Social Democrats called for their removal but were rebuffed by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The leader of the FDP, Guido Westerwelle, who is likely to be Germany's new foreign minister, has also called for Germany to be free of nuclear weapons.
The European Union needs Ankara to strengthen its position toward Russia on such issues as the energy supply because they plan to bring natural gas from Central Asia and the Middle East to Europe through a pipeline that would go through Turkey. This should help the EU become less dependent on Russian energy.
Missile testing in Iran: One expert says Germany has been white washing foreign policy, citing Iran as an example. "Iran will become a nuclear state, and the West will not be able to prevent it from happening," he says.
