Benjamin Giltner, a student affiliate in the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy (CGS) at the Bush School of Government & Public Service, has been named the winner of the 2023 Student Foreign Policy Essay Contest, sponsored by the John Quincy Adams Society (JQAS) and The National Interest.
Giltner’s winning article, titled “It’s Time to Back a Strong Germany,” was announced as the winner on April 26. The contest, the seventh, gave postsecondary students across the United States the opportunity to offer their views on how foreign countries’ defense policies align (or don’t align) with U.S. interests, and how U.S. choices can improve things.
In Giltner’s piece, the Bush School student recommends a strengthened German military to provide for its own security amid a revisionist Russia. By ensuring the Germans build up a “people’s military” instead of a more elitist and closed off security sector, the Germans can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Giltner argues the United States only has so much bandwidth; a strengthened German military could help minimize U.S. security obligations in Europe.
The winning and runners-up articles will appear in The National Interest with the individuals receiving cash prizes as well. Honorable mention articles will appear in the Realist Review.
Visit the JQAS website for more information on the 2023 winners.
