Foreign policy: grumbling in the Union about Johann Wadephul

The other day, the discussion in Johann Wadephul's office was about scheduling appointments. It would be nice, the new Foreign Minister remarked, to be able to have a bite to eat at lunch. The CDU politician has been in office for five weeks. During this five weeks, he has already realized that scheduling isn't the only thing that follows its own rules in his new position. While Wadephul was little known outside of his party and his home state of Schleswig-Holstein until the new federal government took office, the research group Wahlen already puts him in third place in the June Politbarometer, behind Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (both SPD). At the same time, Wadephul has incurred a relatively high level of displeasure in a relatively short space of time. A unified foreign policy is Chancellor Friedrich Merz's (CDU) mandate. In practice, this is proving difficult.

In any case, some within the CDU/CSU seem to have lost patience with Wadephul after a relatively short time. Pressure is coming, especially from the CSU. A leading CSU figure spoke of a "ticking time bomb," the Bild newspaper reported without naming the person. Wadephul has reportedly been accused of "constant blunders," similar to those of Green Party politician Annalena Baerbock. As chief diplomat, the CDU politician is navigating a domestic political minefield in several areas.

In mid-May, Wadephul surprised Chancellor Merz at a NATO foreign ministers' meeting by committing to the five percent target demanded by US President Donald Trump. According to this target, defense spending should increase from the current two percent of economic output to five percent. A plan by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte envisages increasing defense spending by NATO states to 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product by 2032 and investing 1.5 percent of GDP in militarily significant infrastructure. There was no disagreement on the matter, but Merz was unhappy with Wadephul's timing – especially since his coalition partner, the SPD, felt he had been overlooked. During his meeting in the Oval Office, however, Merz benefited from the fact that Trump no longer seems to see Germans as late payers.

More controversial for Wadephul is the handling of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip . In line with Merz, Wadephul had toughened his tone toward the government in Jerusalem and lamented the suffering of the civilian population. While emphasizing the ongoing commitment to Israel's security as part of Germany's raison d'état, he also warned against "forced solidarity" and made it clear in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung that before arms deliveries to Israel , it would be examined whether the war in the Gaza Strip was in compliance with international law. This caused irritation within the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which was declared to have been resolved after a discussion between Wadephul and the parliamentary group leadership. CSU state group leader Alexander Hoffmann, however, warned: "Friends can be criticized, but not sanctioned."

During a visit to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday, Wadephul promised further arms deliveries to Israel. Ultimately, the country must be able to defend itself against attacks from Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran. Nevertheless, he also had some critical words to say. Wadephul described the Israeli government's recent plans to expand settlement construction in the occupied West Bank as contrary to international law. "This settlement policy, in this form, is contrary to international law; it literally blocks the path to a two-state solution," he said. Even among friends, he added, the "extremely tense situation in the West Bank" cannot be overlooked.

When it comes to the issue of Afghan local workers, Wadephul also balances party policy with political reality. Once a central campaign issue for the CDU/CSU, Wadephul sounds more reserved. Around 2,500 Afghans are waiting in Pakistan to travel to Germany. Many of them have already received confirmation of admission. When asked when flights for Afghan local workers from Pakistan would resume, Wadephul was unable to give a clear answer during the government questioning last week. However, he emphasized: "But where we have made legally binding commitments to admission, we will of course keep them." To put it mildly, the Foreign Minister's statement is met with little enthusiasm within the CDU/CSU.

The SPD is all the more satisfied. "I find Foreign Minister Wadephul to be very professional and collegial. His foreign policy priorities and those of the SPD overlap in many respects," said Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Wadephul is setting the right priorities not only in the Ukraine issue, but also in the case of Gaza. "He has clearly identified where international law is being violated. That takes courage, and he has that courage," praised the SPD representative. And he complained: "The greatest noticeable opposition currently comes from a government faction." It is irritating, he said, that the CSU is trying "to make it more difficult for its own CDU/CSU minister to govern."

However, Wadephul also receives support from the CSU: "This was certainly not a false start. A beneficial paradigm shift has taken place. Wadephul is focusing on the core issues," CSU foreign policy expert Alexander Radwan told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. This is a "major difference from his predecessor, who, with her value-oriented, feminist foreign policy, erected barriers rather than dismantled them." Radwan even finds the new tone toward the Israeli government appropriate. Wadephul has "broadened the focus. He adheres to the raison d'état, but also considers the suffering of the people in Gaza."