The difference between him and Baerbock could hardly be greater

WELT The difference between him and Baerbock could hardly be greater. Ulrich Exner 3 hrs. A tough and somewhat inconspicuous team player: With Johann Wadephul (CDU), a politician who has little in common with Annalena Baerbock will become Foreign Minister. The reserve officer is likely to pursue a less polarizing course than the Greens with their feminist foreign policy. When Johann Wadephul somewhat surprisingly announced his decision almost 17 years ago to move from the position of ambitious CDU parliamentary group leader in the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament to that of a simple member of the Bundestag, foreign policy was not mentioned as a future field of activity. The now 62-year-old specialist lawyer for medical and social law and lieutenant colonel in the reserve stated at the time that two areas of expertise were of interest to him: labor market and defense policy. He wanted to "broaden his horizons" by moving to Berlin, Wadephul explained at the time his abruptly announced desire to move. Not every Christian Democrat in Kiel believed this explanation. Some even suspected that Wadephul, eager to change sides, would use his Bundestag candidacy to finally escape the North German Union, which at the time was still plagued by strong internal resentment. Wadephul had already resigned as Schleswig-Holstein state party leader in 2002, after just two years in office. In Berlin, as a permanent member of the Bundestag for the Rendsburg-Eckernförde constituency since 2009, the married father of three adult children demonstrated significantly greater staying power and ability to connect. Wadephul gained his first foreign policy experience in the Committee on European Union Affairs and as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. After the 2013 federal election, he became a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and rapporteur for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag for the countries of the Near and Middle East. In 2017, he made a small rise to deputy parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU, responsible for foreign affairs and defense. Nevertheless, he didn't make a particularly noticeable impression during these final years under Merkel. He can get along with Merz just as well as with Günther The federal political career of the North Frisian native was characterized not by brilliance, but by parliamentary drudgery – the difference between Johann Wadephul and his predecessor, Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, could hardly be greater. Wadephul is a team player, not a soloist; always loyal, sometimes almost too inconspicuous for someone who will be leading Germany for the next four years. In any case, the new foreign minister is also well-respected within the party, which also showed him considerable skepticism during his years in Kiel. The future chief diplomat is just as closely connected to Schleswig-Holstein's Minister-President Daniel Günther (CDU), who lives in Wadephul's constituency, as he is to CDU leader Friedrich Merz. This is anything but self-evident, given the differences between the two, which are always cultivated. The ability to mediate, to listen to others, and to approach others are the strengths of a politician who is not usually given to making big speeches or making big statements. Wadephul has a sufficient degree of down-to-earthness. Now he must prove that, even 17 years after moving to Berlin, he still has the energy, assertiveness, and curiosity to explore new horizons once again. And to convince citizens of himself and his vision of a somewhat quieter, but perhaps also somewhat more efficient and less polarizing form of foreign policy. This will, of course, not be easy in times when glitz and glamour are almost a prerequisite for gaining the attention politicians need if they want to be successful. In times when important foreign policy decisions will foreseeably be made in the Chancellery and not at Werderscher Markt, the headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office. But the attempt to do things differently and even better will be undertaken by the 16th Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic, Johann Wadephul, with tenacity, patience, and North German composure. Ulrich Exner is WELT's political correspondent in Northern Germany and has been following the political career of the future Federal Foreign Minister since his time in Kiel.