Germany lost its seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council by a large margin. It has been a week since that decision, but the "aftershocks" caused by this incident are still continuing to have an impact.
On June 9th, local time, Konstanze Steltzner, Director of the US-EU Center at the Brookings Institution and a senior researcher from Germany, wrote an article for the Financial Times in the UK. She pointed out the reason with great clarity: "Germany is too arrogant, yet not hard enough." In her view, under the current international situation, what former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said about Germany is even more appropriate: "Poor old Germany: too big for Europe, and too small for the world."
The United Nations Security Council is composed of 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members. The tenure of non-permanent members is two years, and they are elected by the United Nations General Assembly from among the other 188 member states, divided into regional groups. In the upcoming elections for terms from 2027 to 2028, there are 5 seats open. Two of these seats are allocated to the 'Western European and Other States Group', and Germany is competing with Portugal and Austria for these seats.
However, the results of the vote announced on the 3rd showed that Germany only received 104 votes, far below the required 127 votes to be elected. As a result, Germany was defeated by Portugal, which received 134 votes, and Austria, which received 131 votes. This outcome surprised many German media and diplomats, and it quickly led to reflections on Germany's diplomatic strategy.
On the 9th, Stelzenmiller mentioned in an article that some commentators used the term 'Gesamtkunstwerk', coined by German composer Richard Wagner, to mock Germany's failure—a failure that was 'grand in scale and imposing in scope, yet full of tragic undertones'.
On June 2 local time, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted an announcement to campaign for Germany to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Social Media
She pointed out that, in most cases, regional groups coordinate candidates to increase the chances of being elected. Many countries even begin their campaigning more than ten years in advance, using diplomatic lobbying to secure every vote. However, Germany joined the competition only after Portugal and Austria announced their candidacies for many years.
During the campaign, both Portugal and Austria demonstrated more mature diplomatic strategies. Portugal has long relied on close ties with its former colonial countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, thereby exerting a significant influence in international affairs despite its limited size. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, both come from Portugal. Portugal's stance on the issue of the status of the Palestinian State also helped it gain more support from countries in the Global South.
Austria has long followed a flexible and balanced diplomatic approach. On one hand, it supports Israel and Ukraine. On the other hand, it continuously emphasizes its constitutional provision of permanent neutrality to non-Western countries, maintaining a delicate balance between different camps.
In contrast, Stegner believes that Germany seems to be "too arrogant, yet not hard enough." Germany is the fourth-largest contributor to the United Nations in terms of financial resources, the third-largest economy in the world, and the largest economy in Europe. It has successfully won six elections for seats on the UN Security Council, and has long argued that it should have a permanent seat on the Security Council.
Germany's campaign slogan is “Respect, Justice, Peace”. However, its Chancellor Merz did not even attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly last September, and did not carry out any diplomatic lobbying efforts. Austria, on the other hand, sent the President, the Chancellor, and the Foreign Minister all together. In comparison, Germany really does not have much “respect”.
On the level of 'justice', Germany has always claimed to be a staunch defender of international law and international institutions. However, in recent years, it has continuously reduced its budgets for development and humanitarian aid, thereby weakening its international image. Mertz's diplomatic statements have also frequently sparked controversy; he tends to think before speaking. He refused to condemn the United States' military strikes against Venezuela, and even claimed that Israel's attacks on Iran were an act of 'taking on our dirty work'.
As for “peace,” it’s hard to say that Germany’s actions align with this term. Under the current international situation, Germany has seized the opportunity to rapidly expand its military forces, becoming one of the European countries that provide the most military assistance to Ukraine. Some believe that Russia’s opposition to Germany’s candidacy for a seat on the Security Council may not be without reason.
According to analyst Stelzenmiller, Germany's setback at the United Nations may be due to its strategic dilemmas. Before his election, Mertz spoke of wanting Germany to become a "leadership-driven middle-sized power." However, as the former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said, "Poor old Germany: too big for Europe, too small for the world." This statement may now be more accurate than it was during Kissinger's lifetime.
She believes that in an era of increasingly fierce competition among major powers, a medium-sized country like Germany must learn to form alliances, especially with countries whose values and interests differ from its own, in order to play a greater role on the international stage.
"If it were possible to achieve 'respect, justice and peace', that would be good," Stetler-Lemmer said directly. "But perhaps Germany should try out 'generosity, consistency and humility' instead."
