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Germany has developed an ambitious strategy to increase the share of renewable sources in its energy matrix and to enable the transition to a green industrial paradigm. Known as Energiewende, the policy implied profound structural transformations in the energy system. Participation of the residents and of small entrepreneurs stands out among its particularities. The state leads the transitional project by mediating the divergent interests among social and economic agents. The challenge is to maintain social consensus despite unequal costs. Individual consumers, farmers and some industries faced high electricity prices while energy-intensive industries were exempt, a disparity that attracts much criticism. The project involves dismantling nuclear power plants, which leads to increasing use of coal or natural gas. Another challenge is to keep investments on track. This article presents the topic from its historical development and shows that German energy strategy surpasses moral and economic concerns. Beyond economics and energy security, it is a broader plan to place the country in the vanguard transition to green capitalism.

A crise política na Ucrânia provocou intenso debate na Alemanha, que se intensificou a partir do momento em que a Rússia passou a apoiar abertamente o movimento separatista na Crimeia. De maneira geral, a atitude tolerante de grande parte do público alemão face ao comportamento da Rússia no processo foi explicada com base em fatores econômicos, culturais e históricos: a experiência traumática da Segunda Guerra Mundial. O presente artigo afasta-se dessas análises, ao abordar a questão pelo ângulo da política externa alemã. Detendo-se, primeiramente, no debate sobre a identidade internacional da Alemanha, que vem se desenvolvendo desde a reunificação do país, em 1990, o artigo discute a resposta à crise presente à luz do papel atribuído à Rússia na política externa alemã, ao longo desse período.