Conscientious Merchant? German Post-reunification Arms Exports

After reunification, Germany has become the informal leader within the European Union given its political and economic influence. However, in recent year, critics say that the primary driver of German foreign policy is shifting from normative considerations such as democracy and human rights to national interest. One of the indicators of this trend is its arms export records. Germany has been one of the biggest arms exporting countries with considerable portion of arms going to regions with conflicts and human rights crisis. This quantitative study applies a two-stage model to explore the extent to which human rights situation of the recipient states affect Germany’s decision to export major conventional weapons.