Germany
Rearmed
The Return of War and the End of Illusions
After eighty years of restraint, Germany is returning to military power — and Europe’s security is transformed.
- Paperback
- £25.00 / $34.99
- Digital
- eBook available
The Argument
After eighty years of restraint, Germany is returning to military power. For many years, German political culture rested on the conviction that military force belonged to a darker past — and that security could be outsourced to the United States or replaced by trade and diplomacy. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s return to the White House have shattered these illusions.
“Germany can — and must — become a military power capable of protecting Europe when America will not.” Liana Fix — the book’s central claim
The threat of Russian aggression and the risk of US abandonment have triggered a German rearmament of historic proportions. But this rearmament also poses a dilemma. With right-wing populism rising at home, can Germany assume a greater military role without reviving old fears among its neighbours or undermining European stability? Can it become a credible security provider while remaining firmly anchored in liberal democratic values?
This timely, important book analyses Germany’s foreign policy and its relationship with military power from 1945 to the present, and explores the choices and alternatives for European security in the next decade and beyond. Challenging Germany’s ‘myth of pacifism’, Liana Fix argues that, as the post-war order fades, Germany faces the defining strategic choice of its generation.
Advance Praise
“A convincing, highly valuable foray into the transformation of Germany from an anti-militarist society to a key military power in Europe — and what it means for the rest of us.
Sylvie Kauffmann
Foreign Affairs Columnist, Le Monde
“Germany’s return as a military power will shape Europe and the Atlantic alliance for decades. A lucid, compelling, deeply informed account of this historic transformation — an indispensable guide to one of the defining geopolitical shifts of our time. Essential reading.
Robert Kagan
Author and Foreign Policy Analyst
“With the US in retreat, Europe faces its gravest strategic test since the Cold War. Liana Fix confronts the myths that shaped German foreign policy and lays out what is at stake if Germany fails to rise to the moment. A timely and important book.
Wolfgang Ischinger
Former German Ambassador to the US
“A rearmed Germany dominating Europe? A Germany without the West? For all who thought these worries belonged to the distant past, Liana Fix’s new book provides an insightful and sobering corrective. Highly recommended.
Mary Elise Sarotte
Author of Not One Inch
In the News
- Foreign AffairsEurope’s Next Hegemon
- Foreign AffairsThe German Question
- Financial TimesGermany Re-Arms: What Does This Mean for Europe?
- Financial TimesThe New German Military Question
- The Washington PostTrump Got NATO to Pay Up. America May Regret It.
- Video · XFareed Zakaria on Germany Rearmed
- El PaísBerlin Is Rearming, and Its Neighbors Weigh the Risks of a New German Hegemony
- Internationale Politik QuarterlyThere Is No New German Military Question
- ChroniclesAmerica Should Embrace the Idea of a Rearmed Germany
- CSISEurofile Live: German Rearmament and NATO’s Ankara Summit
- CEPAGermany: Time to Step Up
- VideoGermany Is Rearming. Should Europe Be Worried?
- ZDF · maybrit illnerBetween Trump and Putin — Will Europe Be Crushed?
- HandelsblattWhat Germany’s Growing Military Power Means for Europe
- LRTNot Putin’s but Trump’s Threat Drove Real Change in Europe
- SternGermany’s Rearmament: A Historian Explains Why Europe Is Worried
Publication Record
- Format
- Paperback · 216pp
- Release Date
- August 2026 UK & EU
November 2026 US - ISBN · UK & EU
- 978-1805266808
- ISBN · US
- 978-0197875100
The Author
Liana Fix is a historian, political scientist and a leading authority on German and European foreign and security policy. She is a senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
She is also the author of Germany’s Role in European Russia Policy: A New German Power?
Washington, DC
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