Alexander Radwan noticed something telling during his visits to the United Arab Emirates: universities from dozens of countries had established a presence on Gulf campuses, yet German higher education was nowhere to be found. That absence, he argues, captures a broader failure of ambition, and he wants to change it.
Radwan, who heads the Bundestag’s parliamentary group for relations with Arab countries and represents Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc, met in Berlin on Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Their conversation centered on what a genuinely expanded partnership between Germany and the Gulf region could look like, one that reaches well beyond energy contracts and trade flows into education, research, security cooperation and cultural exchange.
The missing German universities are, to Radwan, a missed opportunity. He sees education, technology and economic collaboration as areas where Germany could play a distinctive role in supporting regional development, building the mutual understanding he considers essential before any deeper partnership can take hold.
Lamya Kaddor, a lawmaker from the opposition Green Party, frames the challenge differently but arrives at the same destination. Germany, she argues, should stop simply reacting to events in the Middle East and instead offer Gulf countries a genuine long-term strategic partnership. That arrangement, in her view, should create real pathways for innovation and knowledge-sharing, connecting startups and research institutions on both sides rather than limiting cooperation to state-to-state dealings.
Meanwhile, both lawmakers have anchored their proposals in the security anxieties now reshaping German foreign policy. Radwan pointed to Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, close to German borders, and to Iranian tensions near the Gulf. Both Germany and the Gulf states, he noted, are rethinking their long-standing reliance on the United States for protection and deterrence.
Kaddor pressed a related point: the security of critical sea routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, matters vitally to both regions. Germany, she stressed, must convert the trust it already enjoys in the Gulf into tangible political influence, using its reputation to advance interests the two sides genuinely share.
The economic foundation for closer ties is already in place. Germany and the United Arab Emirates maintain substantial commercial relationships, and those connections are expected to feature prominently when UAE President Sheikh Mohamed makes his upcoming state visit to Berlin. Germany has expressed interest in importing natural gas and hydrogen from Gulf countries, giving energy cooperation an immediate, concrete dimension.
What Radwan and Kaddor are really arguing is that the Middle East has moved from the margins to the center of German strategic thinking. As security challenges multiply and energy transitions accelerate, the Gulf offers Berlin both opportunities and necessities. The question their proposals leave open is whether Germany can move quickly enough to build the educational, cultural and research ties that would make it a genuine partner in the region rather than simply a customer looking for its next supply deal.