Middle Power moves: Foreign policy lessons for the United Kingdom and Germany

International relations in 2025 have taken a sharp turn away from multilateral cooperation within the framework of a rules-based international system. Instead, bilateral deal-making, transactionalism, and power politics have returned to the fore, with the United States of America (USA) under President Donald Trump leading this shift. Norms and principles which have guided international cooperation since the end of the Second World War are being challenged or altogether discarded, and the institutions responsible for resolving conflicts and delivering vital humanitarian assistance are under severe strain. Meanwhile, potentially existential transformations from climate change to the rise of new technologies require global coordination and attention. In a world which is increasingly fragmenting, can likeminded middle powers such as the UK and Germany find a way to advance their interests and priorities, while also bolstering the weakened international system? This paper explores examples of middle power agency (within Europe and beyond), and suggests ways in which the UK and Germany can work together with other middle powers to navigate the uncertain present.

“By embracing the lessons outlined in this paper, the UK and Germany will have an opportunity to play a key role in a global silent majority which, together, can begin the work of refashioning an international order in which states can pursue their interests peacefully in partnership with others.”

-- Phil Brickell MP, Secretary, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Germany, Houses of Parliament and Sebastian Roloff MdB, Chair, UK-German Friendship Group, Bundestag