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Shtrik R.R. [Promoting democratic values as a soft power resource for Germany: the role of NGOs and political foundations (based on the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the Eastern Partnership Countries)] Political Science and Technology, 2025, Vol. 5, Iss. 4 Available at: https://politicjournal.ru/PDF/05PK425.pdf (in Russian).

Promoting democratic values as a soft power resource for Germany: the role of NGOs and political foundations (based on the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in the Eastern Partnership Countries)

Shtrik Ruslan Romanovich
State University of Education, Moscow, Russia
E-mail: shtrik_rus@mail.ru

Abstract. This study analyzes the role of leading German political foundations — the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) — as key instruments for implementing Germany’s soft power strategy in the Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus). The aim of the study is to identify and systematize the specific ideological principles, operational priorities, and practical mechanisms through which these organizations promote democratic values, the rule of law, and the social market economy model.

The study focuses on a comparative analysis of the two dominant models of influence. The institution-oriented approach of KAS, affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), is examined in detail, emphasizing support for state reforms, decentralization, the rule of law, and the formation of political elites. In parallel, the socially oriented strategy of the FES, affiliated with the Social Democratic Party, is being explored. It focuses on strengthening civil society structures, the trade union movement, promoting gender equality, and the concept of socio-ecological transformation («just transition»).

The study classifies the foundations’ universal operating mechanisms that ensure synergy between their impacts. These include: building long-term expert and political networks based on trust; implementing educational programs and internships that serve as practical «schools of democracy»; and acting as neutral platforms for dialogue between the government, the opposition, and civil society. This is particularly valuable in a context of political polarization. The study culminates in the described model, which explains the effectiveness of German value-oriented «soft power» through a combination of ideological continuity, pragmatic transfer of competencies, and an adaptive format of unofficial diplomacy in a complex region of political rivalry.

Keywords: soft power; political funds; public administration; Eastern Partnership; Germany; Azerbaijan; Armenia; Belarus; Georgia; Moldova; Ukraine

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