Journal - Orient Online

Leaving the sedimented path? Germany’s security policy in the MENA region

Jan Claudius Völkel and Benjamin Zyla

Germany’s image as a “civilian power” has come under pressure since the democratic peace model has started to lose its global attraction. This includes the MENA region where liberal approaches have been sidelined by an authoritarian conflict management and a return to great powerrivalry. This article discusses Germany’s security policy approaches and explores its (new) role in a changing world order in the MENA region. Its traditional self-understanding might lead it into a strategic offside.

Jan Claudius Völkel is DAAD seconded professor in German Studies and International Relations
at the University of Ottawa. His main research interests are Democratization in the MENA region
and Euro-Mediterranean relations.

Benjamin Zyla is full professor and teaches peace and conflict studies at the University of Ottawa
where he also directs the “Peacebuilding and Local Knowledge Network” (PLKN) and the “Fragile States Research Network” (FSRN) (co-director).

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Migration as Security: Reframing German Policy Toward the MENA Region in an Era of Strategic Uncertainty

Raluca Moldovan

This paper examines the evolution of German security policy through the lens of migration, with a specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Since the 2015 refugee crisis, migration has become both a security concern and a strategic priority for German policymakers. The analysis applies a blended theoretical framework combining securitization theory, realism, and human security to assess how migration has reshaped border control, counter-radicalization efforts, integration policies, and foreign relations. It argues that Germany’s approach reflects a dynamic and sometimes contradictory balancing act between humanitarian commitments and strategic interests. The paper explores how domestic and external policies are increasingly entangled, highlighting the trade-offs and normative tensions that define Germany’s migration-security nexus. The conclusion calls for a recalibration of German policy to better align security objectives with democratic values and human rights.

Raluca Moldovan is Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and German Studies of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca, where she has been teaching since 2004 at graduate and undergraduate levels. She is a PhD in history with a thesis on the representation of the Holocaust on film. Her more recent research interests include immigration studies, mass media and the contemporary Middle East. She has published numerous scholarly articles on topics ranging from history to mass culture in many Romanian and international journals and collective volumes. She is a member of the European and Romanian Associations of American Studies and the Association for the Study of Nationalities (Columbia University, New York).

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The Journal for politics, economics, and culture of the Middle East published by the German Orient-Institute

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ORIENT IV 2025 – Focus: German Security Policy in the MENA region

Orient III 2025 – Focus: Health Systems and Public Health Challenges in the MENA Region

Orient II 2025 – US elections and the MENA region: Changing foreign policy and security landscape

Orient I 2025 – Strategic Engagement: China’s Role and Impact in the MENA Region

Orient IV 2024: Migration trends in the MENA region

Orient III 2024: Challenges to trade in the Middle East

Leaving the sedimented path? Germany’s security policy in the MENA region

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Germany and Turkey in the Emerging European Security Order

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Germany and the Emerging Strategic Dynamics in the Middle East

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Migration as Security: Reframing German Policy Toward the MENA Region in an Era of Strategic Uncertainty

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From civilian power to climate security actor: Germany’s strategic repositioning in MENA post 2020

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