Carnegie Europe · Brussels
Strategic Assessment · European Security
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
- $34.99 / £25.00
- 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.
From the Tour
Short highlights from conversations across Europe on Germany’s return to military power and the choices ahead.
Carnegie Europe · Brussels
Balance of power is back
Carnegie Europe · Brussels
The myth of German pacifism has ended
Carnegie Europe · Brussels
The West is abandoning Germany
NUPI · Oslo
Germany opens defense spending taps
DGAP · Berlin
Germany’s power and Europe’s “golden handcuffs”
DGAP · Berlin
Germany as the “elephant in Europe”
DGAP · Berlin
Germany’s “long road to the West” and the missing Plan B
Helsinki Security Forum
Germany’s €162 billion rearmament path
Helsinki Security Forum
Germany’s first military strategy
Helsinki Security Forum
The myth of German pacifism and honesty about security
Helsinki Security Forum
No alternative to a US-led West
Helsinki Security Forum
Germany as the “elephant in Europe”
RUSI · London
The history of German rearmament
RUSI · London
Where German military power is anchored
RUSI · London
Vision and political statements
RUSI · London
The purpose of German military power
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
Book Tour · Autumn 2026
- 28 SeptemberBrussels — Carnegie Europe
- 29 SeptemberWarsaw — Centre for Eastern Studies
- 30 SeptemberBerlin — German Council on Foreign Relations
- 1 OctoberParis — German Marshall Fund of the United States
- 2–4 OctoberHelsinki — Helsinki Security Forum
- 5 OctoberOslo — Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- 6 OctoberLondon — Royal United Services Institute
In the News
Selected Coverage →- The Economist · 3 Nov 2026Fear United Europe. Nationalism May Tear It Apart
- The New York Times · Newsletter · 1 Nov 2026A Lesson From Germany
- Kennan Institute · Book discussion · 23 Oct 2026The Return of War and the End of Illusions
- ARTE Magazin · 22 Oct 2026The New Military Power
- ABC Nyheter · Interview · 11 Oct 2026Donald Trump Made Germany Fear the Worst
- Financial Times · Book review · 9 Oct 2026Germany Rearmed — a historic shift back to military power raises alarm
- Handelsblatt · 8 Oct 2026Defense: Is Germany Becoming a Threat to Europe, Liana Fix?
- The Guardian · 8 Oct 2026Germany Is Right to Rearm. But Europe Has Well-Founded Fears About That
- FOCUS · 3 Oct 2026Rearming the Bundeswehr for the AfD? The Scenario Europe Now Fears
- The Critic · 1 Oct 2026The German question
- Kathimerini · 27 Sep 2026Liana Fix to Kathimerini: The AfD and Russia’s Hand
- The Wall Street Journal · 19 Sep 2026Germany’s Military Rebuild Is Making Its Neighbors Nervous
- CNAS · 18 Sep 2026A Rearmed Germany’s Place in Europe
- Carnegie Europe · 17 Sep 2026Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?
- NRC · 11 Sep 2026Keep the Germans in
- CNN · 7 Sep 2026What the AfD’s electoral victory means for Germany and Europe
- PBS NewsHour · 7 Sep 2026Far-right AfD win signals shift in Germany, raises alarm in Europe
- L’Opinion · 7 Sep 2026German Rearmament: “With the AfD, a Militarist and Nationalist Turn Is Possible”
- Le Grand Continent · 5 Sep 2026Should We Be Afraid of Germany?
- Le Monde diplomatique · Sep 2026Germany: charting its own course
- BILD · 27 Aug 2026Does Trump Fear Putin’s Escalation?
- Ronzheimer · 26 Aug 2026What Secret Message Did Trump Have for Putin?Spotify·Apple Podcasts
- Krautreporter · 19 Aug 2026Germany Is Rearming — Will That Divide Europe?
- NZZ am Sonntag · 16 Aug 2026The Next Hegemon: Must Europe Fear a Heavily Armed Germany?
- Stern · 5 Aug 2026Germany’s Rearmament: A Historian Explains Why Europe Is Worried
- Handelsblatt · 5 Aug 2026What Germany’s Growing Military Power Means for Europe
- LRT · 3 Aug 2026Not Putin’s but Trump’s Threat Drove Real Change in Europe
- ZDF · maybrit illner · 24 Jul 2026Between Trump and Putin — Will Europe Be Crushed?
- Video · X · 12 Jul 2026Fareed Zakaria on Germany Rearmed
- The Washington Post · 10 Jul 2026Trump Got NATO to Pay Up. America May Regret It.
- CSIS · 9 Jul 2026Eurofile Live: German Rearmament and NATO’s Ankara Summit
- Video · 30 Jun 2026Germany Is Rearming. Should Europe Be Worried?
- Internationale Politik Quarterly · 30 Jun 2026There Is No New German Military Question
- Foreign Affairs · 23 Jun 2026The German Question
- Financial Times · 16 Jun 2026The New German Military Question
- taz · 15 May 2026Rearmament in Europe: Who Limits German Power?
- Financial Times · 28 Apr 2026Germany Re-Arms: What Does This Mean for Europe?
- CEPA · 21 Apr 2026Germany: Time to Step Up
- El País · 1 Apr 2026Berlin Is Rearming, and Its Neighbors Weigh the Risks of a New German Hegemony
- Chronicles · 16 Feb 2026America Should Embrace the Idea of a Rearmed Germany
- Foreign Affairs · 6 Feb 2026Europe’s Next Hegemon
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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Publishers
Hurst · Oxford University Press
Also by the Author
Germany’s Role in European Russia Policy: A New German Power?
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