Yearbook Internationale Politik: “Sustainable Energy Security Policy”

The DGAP’s new yearbook is edited by Dr. Josef Braml (Executive Editor), Prof. Dr. Karl Kaiser, Prof. Dr. Hanns W. Maull, Prof. Dr. Eberhard Sandschneider, and Prof. Dr. Klaus-Werner Schatz. It was published in spring 2008 by Oldenbourg Press. In this edition, the editorial staff implemented the new ideas on modernizing the yearbook that were discussed with the Planning Office of the Foreign Ministry. The conceptual transformation of the yearbook, which has moved from historical documentation of worldwide events to a systematic, theme-based analysis of domestic and foreign policy challenges, enables the DGAP to make a real contribution to the practical formulation of German foreign policy.

With the new concept, the yearbook is no longer a retrospective, documentation-based publication. Rather, it carries out problem-oriented analyses in order to shed light on relevant, forward-looking topics of German foreign policy. Each publication focuses on a central issue, systematically analyzing a relevant area of foreign policy. The individual case studies, arranged according to the relevant countries and supranational actors, address various aspects of this central theme. The current volume, “Sustain-able Energy Security Policy,” analyzes how energy policy can be made secure, economically sound, and environmentally/globally sustainable.

With the new yearbook, the former target group of academic experts has been broadened to include political decision-makers. In addition to over 50 experts in different disciplines, ten policy-makers from government (the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministries, and the Bundestag) were asked to present their view of problems and offer possible solutions. This cooperative approach – which, until recently, was rarely practiced in Germany – facilitates interesting comparisons for academics and policymakers. Conclusions and recommendations can be derived for political decision-makers, and the academic community is made aware of research needs and is encouraged to carry out more in-depth studies of specific topics.