Author(s): Alper ÃAKMAK
This paper is set out to study whether Germany’s European politics can be confined into Kantian (liberal) or Bismarckian (realism) realm and to what extent these two traditions can shed light on the current policy of Germany within European Union. The clash of idealism and realpolitik are going to be used as a means to shed light on Germany’s current hegemony in the EU. It is also aimed to point out how permanent emphasis on national interest is prevailing in Adenauer’s period and how Bismarckian way of dealing with international relations still protects its validity today. It is argued that Germany’s ongoing integration policy (Kantian perspective) is an incremental tool in service of recognition in the international arena in 50s and then paving the way for a renewed hegemony of Germany in the continent. It is a significant descriptive study since it points out how Kantian approach is utilized as a means to reach Bismarckian Germany since many scholars focus on the overlap of national interest and integration policies but not questioning whether German national interest is the prime beneficiary in the process even after the WWII.
The Journal of International Social Research received 7760 citations as per Google Scholar report
