Germany to affirm stronger role on world stage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2014 file picture German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, center, greets German helicopter pilots in a hangar at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Germany is affirming its growing role on the world stage in new security guidelines that mark another step away from its caution after World War II. A draft defense policy paper obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday July 12, 2016 and due to be presented on Wednesday states that "Germany is a globally highly connected country ... which has a responsibility to actively shape the global order." (John MacDougall, Pool Photo via AP, file) (The Associated Press)
Germany is affirming its growing role on the world stage in new security guidelines that mark another step away from its caution after World War II.
A draft defense policy paper obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday and due to be presented on Wednesday states that "Germany is a globally highly connected country ... which has a responsibility to actively shape the global order."
It formalizes what leading officials have been saying for the past two years — a period in which Germany has played a leading diplomatic role in Ukraine's conflict and also sent weapons to Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The so-called "white book," the first such review since 2006, also raises the possibility of other European Union countries' citizens serving in Germany's military.