Commentary by Peter Löcke//
Events are coming thick and fast on the geopolitical stage. First, the pompous meeting between US President Trump and Kremlin leader Putin. Shortly afterwards, Volodimir Zelensky also travels to Washington for another visit. The "coalition of the willing" also receives an audience on the sidelines of this meeting. The result is a truly iconic image. Teacher Trump is sitting behind his desk, a few naughty pupils named Merz, Macron, Meloni & Co are sitting in front of it.
The scene in the Oval Office actually reminded me of a childhood experience. Back then, I had to turn up at the Director's office with three school friends to get a justified reprimand for some nonsense we had got up to. The European entourage of political bums looked just as embarrassed as I was as a child.
Trump plays poker. Putin is playing chess. Europe plays no role. And Selenski? He is, to stay with the metaphor, a playing card for Trump or a chess piece for Putin. That's how I would summarize the meeting.
Back on European soil, the news comes thick and fast. Europe wants security guarantees before peace is achieved. Quite a few German politicians are calling for German soldiers on Ukrainian soil. In addition - what a coincidence - a new fictional sailboat story is circulating about the attack on Nord Stream. I would like to reduce all the discussions and events of recent weeks to one provocative question.
Does Germany want peace? My answer is no. At least not yet. Nothing would be more inconvenient for the German government, especially the chancellor and a large part of the German media landscape, than peace. As the answer sounds cynical, I would of course like to justify it.
Germany wants to be ready for war. "Ukraine must win the war." The CDU posted this sentence on a blue and yellow background the morning after winning the Bundestag elections. What followed is well known. With the votes of the old Bundestag - morally and legally tricky - the debt brake was reformed, i.e. the Basic Law was amended. The CDU therefore wasted no time in breaking a key election promise. This 180-degree turnaround was justified by the changed geopolitical situation. The election lie was essentially based on the Russian threat. Putin was not only attacking Ukraine but the whole of Europe. A large part of the billions granted to himself should now and in future flow into the military. This does not require peace. What is needed is war and an enemy image.
Germany needs Russia as an enemy. German defense spending is set to rise to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029. A massive advertising campaign in favor of the Bundeswehr has been launched. It is somewhat similar to the vaccination campaign. The Bundeswehr is being advertised on public broadcasters and other major media. The campaign even extends into schools. Similar to Corona, compulsory service is also being considered here. Compulsory military service instead of compulsory vaccination! There is another parallel. In order to be able to credibly sell such a duty to the population, there needs to be a real threat. What if Russia disappears as a threat? What if - God forbid - peace breaks out?
The sad role of the German media. "The good news is that peace will not break out in this region on the first day." That's what ZDF journalist Elmar Theveßen said shortly after Donald Trump's election. The sad thing about this sentence is that Theveßen meant what he said. Similar to the coronavirus issue, there has already been criticism of German policy on the subject of the war in Ukraine. The problem? The criticism always had the wrong thrust. More weapons, more sanctions, the Russians must be defeated - whatever it takes! More protective measures, more bans, the virus must be defeated - whatever it takes! The leading media are pushing, politicians are willing to be driven into disaster. The war euphoria and coronavirus have an important advantage for politicians and the media alike. The topics distract from other issues.
Germany needs distraction. Since March 2020, Germany has been living in a permanent state of fear. The existential fear of dying from a virus was smoothly followed by the fear of Russia, because it threatens not only Ukraine but the whole of Europe. The constant fear of the impending climate apocalypse, fueled by the political media, served as background music. And today? Nobody is afraid of corona anymore, and fewer and fewer people are taking climate propaganda seriously. What if the third fear topic, war, also disappears?
Then Germany would have to face up to its real problems, such as economic decline, social tensions, migration, violence, disastrous energy policy and so on. These problems are already being addressed today. But unfortunately not enough, unfortunately not honestly enough. Politicians would have to admit major mistakes. The fear of such an admission and the associated loss of face is gigantic. This also applies to the path taken in the war in Ukraine.
Germany is looking to save face. "Germany's course of war has failed resoundingly," says retired Brigadier General Dr. Erich Vad. I agree with him. That applies to both the current and the previous government. Not a second was spent on diplomacy. And now peace is looming. How do we get out of the situation after almost twenty EU sanctions packages that harmed our own population? How do you get out of the situation after billions of euros in aid for Ukraine, while your own country is short of money at every turn? How can you get out of this without losing face?
Imagine there is peace. Everyone has probably driven their car into a dead end at some point. That's embarrassing. If you have a passenger sitting next to you, you lose face. And yet you turn around. You'd be crazy to drive the car into the wall at full throttle. Turn around, Friedrich Merz! You will survive the loss of face in front of 80 million passengers.
Imagine there is a war and nobody goes! The well-known phrase by the American poet Carl Sandburg may be naive. Imagine there could be peace and nobody wants it! This political behavior is inhumane and criminal.
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6 Responses
Which came first, the billion or the emergency
Neither the formerly powerful British military nor the French troops or the Bundeswehr are in a position to defend Western and Central Europe against a forceful attack. There are more admirals than ships in the British navy, and the situation is similar everywhere. Fortunately, young Germans are not mentally fit for war and will never be again. In this respect, we are experiencing sabre-rattling as an aerial act. Everyone involved knows that. That's why I'm not worried, it's just a shame about all the money.
Where is the enemy?
What a great life that would be,
were burned in Russia's trenches,
what is left of German defense,
there would be no more men,
with women, children, the elderly
you can do whatever you want.
Can the Trutz be decimated in this way?
How easy it would be to govern.
Until the first corpses
the Popanz must suffice.
You can make good use of it,
resistance.
Russian danger, that's not it,
that speaks from the propaganda.
Who come up with them,
want to distract from this,
that they are destroying Germany,
Russians are by no means needed for this.
The real enemy is collaborating
with which the daily marches in.
The enemy is not in Moscow,
he has united in Berlin.
Germans have been fighting this for a long time,
because that is what they are afraid of,
fear that more and more are waking up,
that put an end to their power.
They do not learn from history,
that those who remove criticism
and defame free thinking,
only accelerate their downfall.
Good commentary! There is only one point where I have to disagree with you: "Turn around, Friedrich Merz! You will survive the loss of face in front of 80 million passengers." Personally, yes, but politically the CDU and SPD would be dead as a doornail. Well, it would only be a small step for the SPD. For the Greens, however, it would be a complete disaster. Made "fit for war" for nothing? In addition, 39 million passengers would be disappointed, as the media and politicians have been telling them for years that this is an "unprovoked war of aggression by Russia" (repeated 10 million times in the media) and that "we" will of course win the war. So 39 million "co-passengers" would also have to admit that they were wrong. As we know, people will not admit a mistake for almost anything in the world. The sky would have to fall over Berlin, as it did in 1945, for at least some of the "passengers" to wake up. The journalists have it easier, they simply put on a new hat on day X and sing the new songs professionally. Now, as Vance said, there is "a new sheriff in town" who basically doesn't think much differently from the old one. But he has always believed that Russia is the wrong enemy. His focus is on China. Kevin Merz & Co. at home alone! The "government", the EU, must first get out of this dilemma. The wrong people can't be right! Orbán, Meloni and the untouchables! So we'll play a little more war. Where else to go with the billions that have been procured to arm against Putin. But thank God he's waiting to attack until we're "ready for war", around 2029. Call it cynical, or whatever you like. It is politics. In the end times. Quick censor check! Yes, two mitigations, can go like this.
A very accurate description of Germany's relationship to peace, as I also perceive it. I find it impressive and at the same time only explainable for me due to the brainwashing that has been going on for three generations that the vast majority of my contemporaries cannot cognitively grasp these connections and especially the consequences.
Mr. Ullrich, I experience the same thing in my environment.
A brief conversation with a colleague at work about the war with Russia ended in uncomprehending silence when I said "I'm more afraid of our government than of Putin!". The media distortions have also left deep traces in the minds of other people around me. It is not without reason that we can speak of a matrix in which a large part of our population lives.