September 2, 2014 – Germany
Germany’s Chancellor declared what amounts to a major foreign policy change on September 1, 2014
According to DW,
“Speaking before the Bundestag – the Lower House of the German parliament – on Monday, Chancellor Merkel said it was necessary to send weapons to northern Iraq.”
And in a follow-up article, dated September 2, 2014, DW reported,
“It’s a decision Chancellor Angela Merkel described as “far-reaching.” It means abandoning what has been a fundamental principle of German foreign policy since the end of the Second World War: not to supply arms to war zones or crisis regions.”
The Wall Street Journal agreed,
“While the sovereign debt crisis cemented Germany’s role as an economic heavyweight in Europe, Berlin has assumed geopolitical responsibility hesitantly based on its history of military aggression in two world wars.”
And according to WSJ,
“… Analysts say that is slowly changing as Berlin seeks to equate its economic clout with political muscle.”
Read the September 1, 2014 DW article here