the wall fell Berlin 33 years ago, but the emotional border between the two worlds opposed to the Cold War remains on the asphalt and in the minds of many Germans. Since the early hours of February 24, the country has been experiencing a nightmare that has swept over it. It is less than 1300 kilometers from its capital, Ukraine. Trains arrive with refugees from Poland. Blue and yellow flags fly from numerous buildings. Solidarity posters and graffiti saying “no more wars” abound. Germany knows what it’s talking about. It led to two World Cups and paid a high price for defeat.
This is not just Russian gas, it’s history. The memory of the demons of a not-so-distant past thwarts the actions of Social Democratic leader Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has ruled in coalition with the Greens and Liberals since December. It is not easy to replace the very popular Angela Merkel, whose policy of easing Vladimir Putin Germany handed over its energy dependency to the wrong leader. Now Merkel’s statements about Ukraine are not heard; There is no self-criticism.
Scholz has more communication problems than content. It may not be the most charismatic. In this space, two green leaders, Secretary of State Annalena Baerbock and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, sweep it away. However, within three months he managed to relax Germany’s strict rules on arms exports to conflicting countries, and World War II. It approved the largest increase in military spending since World War II.
Increase in defense spending
The Bundestag approved the constitutional amendment that would allow the 2% of GDP allocated to defense spending to be exceeded.. It’s a matter of more than 100,000 million euros. Pacifists warn of the implications of breaking a historic seal.
What he has been moving with consistency is in the delivery of arms to Ukraine. There are more unfulfilled promises than the truth. It recently announced a bridging operation with Greece for the shipment of USSR-era military vehicles with its final destination in Ukraine. Athens will receive Western supplies in return. This is a divisive issue in German public opinion, which fears being drawn into a larger conflict. There is fear of precedent of the Great War.
Twitter account Not Sputnikas humorous The World Todayannounced a breaking news day ago: “The first shipment of military-grade thoughts and prayers arrives from Germany to Ukraine” and a photo of an empty truck next to it.
The most critical claim is that Scholz copied Merkel’s policy after Russia’s invasion of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. (Georgia), in 2008, and part of Crimea and Donbas, in 2014. It consists of pretending to do something concrete without doing anything.
Scholz and Frenchman Emmanuel Macron make frequent phone calls to Putin. They are offering ceasefire offers and now to unblock the port of Odessa. They forget who the attacker is. Add to the cocktail Henry Kissinger, who urged Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace. Putin knows that the West won’t last for months.
Germans worry that cuts to gas supply will affect their lives, but according to an ARD survey, 68% are willing to make sacrifices in winter. Nobody wants Russia’s gas payment to serve a massacre.
Reducing Russian imports
In this 100-day war, Germany reduced Russian oil imports from 35% to 12%; and coal, from 50% to 8%. They were the simplest due to the availability of quick alternatives. Although dependency fell from 55% to 35%, natural gas remained.
The government categorically stated that the cessation of this gas GDP 2% in 2023. Big businessmen agree, but there are economists who object to these data, which they find exaggerated. There would be an impact, but it would not be a disaster. It is feared that the increase in prices will be in favor of the far right.
In the last regional elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Scholz’s party suffered a setback against the CDU. The SPD lost 13 seats and the Liberals 16. The Greens rose to 25. They are the power that reads the truth best.
Germany implemented austerity program on Greece during the 2015 euro crisis, which was led by Syriza and which they branded as the radical left. The bailouts with brutal cuts in Greek public spending were approved when in reality they were bailouts for German and French companies stuck in recession. It is interesting that they are now so reluctant to administer their own medicine.
Source: Informacion
