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Germany, many noted, had clearly failed to grasp the geopolitical significance of events in the Arab world and was neither able nor willing to support the project of a democratic Middle East. This is wrong. Beyond all the finger-wagging and public chastisements over the Libya intervention, Germany has played a key role in pushing reform of the EU’s Mediterranean policies and has broken new ground in its relationship with emerging Arab democracies. While Germany clearly lacks the geostrategic ambitions and capacities of France or the UK, it has become a more proactive and independent regional player following the Arab Spring.

The Middle East and North Africa has traditionally been a region of limited strategic importance for Germany. With the notable exception of Israel, and at times Iran, Germany held few clear interests in the region and has largely failed to articulate a comprehensive regional approach of its own. Instead, it has been content with having its partners set the regional agenda, while quietly pursuing its limited commercial interests. On regional security issues, Germany followed the US lead. Within the EU, Germany consented to French dominance but advocated a balanced approach between Europe’s southern and eastern neighborhoods. When Germany did intervene, it was usually in order to curb French ambitions, such as during the Mediterranean Union debate, or in order to safeguard Israeli interests. Beyond that, German diplomacy was cautious not to get embroiled in the region’s multiple crises or to interfere with the regional ambitions of its allies.