Seite - 20 - in Friedensgutachten 2020 - Im Schatten der Pandemie: letzte Chance für Europa

In the coming years, the coronavirus pandemic will create a global economic recession. Whether one consequence of this will be a decline in military expenditure and arms ex- ports – both globally and in Germany specifically – remains to be seen. But given the enormous resources needed for economic, social, and medical crisis management, plans to expand military spending should be subject to review. Meanwhile, Germany’s armed forces are facing a growing volume of requests to assume responsibility for civil activities, such as the protection of crucial infrastructure or in the provision of medical care. If, for instance, the military were to be asked to officially support the police, perhaps in carrying out patrols, it would be important to ensure that the legisla- tive basis for such measures included sunset provisions. The primary task of the military is national defense in the context of systems of collective security. When the military assumes civil tasks, there is a danger of both inefficiency and the confusion of military and non-mili- tary functions. The Peace Report examines the ambivalent effects of the involvement of the military in the civilian sphere thoroughly in the context of cybersecurity. Many states support military cyber forces. The dominant strategies are currently focused on deterrence and forward defense. By contrast, the German government seeks above all to strengthen the resilience of Germany’s digital infrastructure and to avoid investing in the development of pre-emptive capacities. Military hackbacks should be restricted to exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Bundestag. To avoid a digital arms race, the Federal Govern- ment should strengthen fundamental norms and appeal for the collective development of rules in the UN framework: This should include a strong moral prohibition on attacks on the public core of the internet and a renunciation of attacks on public infrastructure. In order to counter the logic of forward defense in the cyber sphere, Germany should lobby for the establishment of a transnational attribution committee. ↘ LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC: THE MULTILATERAL WORLD ORDER The coronavirus pandemic has intensified existing trends toward national unilateralism and the weakening of international cooperation. The latter, in particular, has been driven by great power rivalries between China, Russia and the USA. These problems have been exacerbated by the rise of right-wing populist parties in many European countries and in the USA. These political forces are generally skeptical towards international cooperation and work to stop the governments of their countries from working proactively on behalf of international institutions. Military and arms spending need to be reviewed given the cost of the crisis Germany should work for international regulation of the cyber sphere The COVID-19 pandemic shines a light on the crisis of international cooperation 2020 / In the Shadow of the Pandemic: Europe’s Last Chance / STATEMENT 20