The German government regularly describes its arms exports policy as “restrictive” even though it repeatedly approves arms exports to authoritarian regimes and areas of tension. Last week, it published its revised Political Principles for the Export of War Weapons and Other Military Equipment that had not been changed for 19 years. It was the red-green German government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer that had last adapted the Principles to its political goals. The Political Principles supplement German legislation—and in particular the Military Weapons Control Act (Kriegswaffenkontrollgesetz) and the German Foreign Trade & Payments …read more
