Ian Klinke awarded prestigious British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship

Date 21 April 2023

The Fellowship will support new research into contemporary German geopolitics.

Dr Ian Klinke

Many congratulations to Professor Ian Klinke, Fellow and Tutor in Geography, on the award of a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship.

Mid-Career Fellowships free researchers from normal teaching and administrative commitments, enabling them to pursue a major piece of research that advances understanding in their subject area. The award is for a one-year project, 'Beyond Atlanticism and Ostpolitik: Germany and NATO from Kosovo to Ukraine'. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought Germany’s commitment to NATO under increased scrutiny. Despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz's call on 27 February 2022 for a ‘turn of eras’ in his country’s foreign and security policy, there is a sense that Berlin's military support for Ukraine and its commitment to the Atlantic alliance might be short-lived. In order to grasp the current debate over Germany's place in NATO, the longer history of exchanges between the alliance’s supporters and critics over the degree to which Berlin should engage in ‘geopolitics’ must be better understood. This project thus sheds new light on the intellectual, policy and military strategic disputes which have flared up periodically since the late 1990s. Ian will interview politicians, intellectuals and analysts, and examine key media and policy forums. Dr Klinke's findings will be disseminated through academic and popular articles, two workshops, and eventually a research monograph.

Professor Ian Klinke

British Academy