KAS International Reports 8/14 [antikvár]

KAS INTERNATIONAL REPORTS 8|2014EDITORIALDear Readers,The First World War broke out 100 years ago in August 1914. Europe became a theater of war on an unprecedented scale. It was to be more than four years before the fighting finally ceased. By then, almost ten million soldiers had been killed, twice that number wounded and there were an estimated seven million civilian victims. The repercussions of the war changed the face of the continent and world affairs profoundly. Individual societies had to face the challenge of reintegrating returning soldiers into civilian life, dealing with those who had been injured and traumatised and looking after the dependents of those who had been killed. None of these issues are any less relevant today. When we look back at the outbreak of war in 1914, it is impossible not to think about today's hotspots - Ukraine, Afghanistan, the l^iddle East, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Media coverage of these conflicts often pays too little attention to the pressures faced by societies that are directly affected by war. And the issues faced by countries whose armed forces are involved in international missions should also not be ignored. To what extent are people interested in soldiers who are deployed abroad? How is society reflected in its armed forces, and vice versa?In Germany the principle of ''citizens in uniform" ensures that society is also reflected in its armed forces. Yet soldiers are rarely seen in day-to-day life, and the current round of Bundeswehr reform has reduced their presence still further. Reductions in personnel, the suspension of compulsory military service and the closure of military facilities have ali resulted in a much smaller geographical presence. Fewer people now come into contact with the military. They only become aware of the Bundeswehr when it is called upon to deal with a national catastrophe. It is often forgotten that the Bundeswehr is a constitutional body that forms part of Germany's value-based foreign policy with 4,400 soldiers currently involved in 16 international missions.In other countries the gap between military and civil areas of society is much less pronounced. In this issue, Elmar Sulk investigates the importance of the military in theM: