by Adrian von Ferenczy //
In an exclusive interview for the Club of Clear Words, Sevim Dağdelen, long-time member of the Bundestag and member of the party Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), analyzes the dramatic escalation of the global geopolitical situation. "NATO is driving us to the brink of a third world war"explains Dağdelen in an interview with Markus Langemann. She warns of the dangers of Western arms deliveries and draws a parallel to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
The Ukraine crisis as the most dangerous conflict of our time
Dağdelen is alarmed by the escalation of the war in Ukraine: "The US decision to release long-range weapons with a range of 300 kilometers has taken the world hostage."
In their opinion, Germany's plans to supply Taurus missiles further exacerbate the situation.
"NATO accepts that Russia will see this as a declaration of war. Germany is thus becoming a target."
Parallels to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Dağdelen draws a line from the Ukraine crisis to the Cuban missile crisis: "In 1962, the stationing of nuclear missiles in Cuba was a response to American missiles in Turkey. Today, NATO states are threatening Russia directly on its borders."
It criticizes the West for ignoring Russia's security interests, which increases the risk of nuclear war.
The responsibility of the federal government
Dağdelen is sharply critical of the traffic light coalition: "We have a federal government that doesn't understand its geopolitical role and blindly follows the USA's lead." It is appealing to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to refuse the delivery of Taurus missiles and not to allow any US medium-range weapons on German soil. "Anyone who allows these developments to happen is exposing Europe to a nuclear catastrophe."
Peace policy instead of escalation
Despite all the warnings, Dağdelen remains optimistic: "People want peace. Over 50 percent of Ukrainians are in favor of negotiations." It calls for a return to diplomacy and a European course that recognizes the multipolar world order. "Germany must no longer be a vassal of the USA, but must act independently."
You can now watch the full interview, in which Dağdelen also talks about her criticism of the media, freedom of opinion and the upcoming President Donald Trump, exclusively in the media library on clubderklarenworte.de.
You can also find more information about the media library in the FAQs here at CdkW.
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4 Responses
We are "the tail that wags the dog". There is no other way to interpret the subservience of parts of the German parties, namely the CDU/CSU and FDP, to the Biden administration's line. Scholz is at least using the little leeway we have to rule out Germany's direct involvement in the war in Ukraine. You always have this leeway, in any system. The left-wing spectrum, i.e. the SPD and BSW/Restlinke and the AfD, are showing more realism and responsibility than the liberal-conservatives, who belong to the US. The latter do not believe that they will ever have to honor their bet on a "victory" for the West. A risky strategy, which is all the more risky as Germany's location would make it a nuclear battlefield. Well, we've had seventy years of practice at being that, but we don't have nuclear missiles like France and Britain and should be careful. Nobody believes that they will come to our aid in an emergency. - I think that one of the reasons Mr. Merz didn't put forward a vote of no confidence was because otherwise he would now have to deliver Taurus as chancellor. It's better to wait and see what Trump does after he takes office. See above. This is another reason for the late election date. Then hopefully Mr. Merz will not have to follow up his grandiose words with deeds.
Dear Lucy, this speech was one of the first mass media productions. Unfortunately, the public couldn't see that at the time because there was no internet. The USA had stationed medium-range missiles in Turkey, which threatened the USSR. Grutschow then sent nuclear missiles to Cuba by ship. A clever move to show that every nuclear superpower must respect the territorial integrity of others. The Kennedy government and its PR strongmen used the crisis to position Kennedy as a strong and prudent Western leader. While the warships of the USA and the USSR were sailing towards each other, the negotiators from both sides had long been sitting together in Vienna and negotiating. It ended with the withdrawal of US missiles from Turkey. - Today you can even read about this staging in Wicky's book.
30.11.2024
Dear Dieter Zorn,
Staging or no staging, there is no such thing as /.
there would be enough.
This speech has in any case
Symbolic character and value.
The decisive factor is that the mere
existence of the - then - Cuba crisis,
if comparable, in the (already
hot) current war hardly ever
is / was addressed.
Fatal.
Many do not know about it, in the middle of
Europe...?
The status quo of the then Cuba
crisis has long since passed.
Nevertheless, blindly
escalated as if there was no tomorrow.
This could therefore be the case.
Lucy
Fri., 29.11.2024
Ladies and Gentlemen,
it always irritates and amazes
again, how little, how (much too late)
etc. in this country - at all
the Cuban missile crisis.
The memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis as
clear warning, but it's urgent,
already for several years, in
Europe, among others, very clearly.
Almost nobody really knows e.g.
the pictures, the serious words of the
television address at the time
from John F. Kennedy to the
US nation and the world...?!
Thanks for the contribution.
Lucy