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Der Spiegel expose': Germany Is Ignored!
Deutschland ist verklempt!Hilarious. A few excerpts follow As he sat in his comfortable chair facing a vase of flowers on his leather-covered desk, Erler wasn't exactly in a jubilant mood. The news coming to Berlin in recent weeks was rarely good and not just as a result of the hostage crisis in Afghanistan. Erler found himself reading about the way others pursue their global policies -- without Germany. And: The worst part of this news was that Gernot Erler and the German government had to read the newspaper to learn about it. No one had asked them for their opinion or advice. In fact, no one even felt it was necessary to notify Germany. And: Germany had behaved like a kindly sheepdog, gently driving the herd in one direction, keeping everyone nicely together and making sure that no one strayed too far from the herd. But now it's becoming clear that there could very well be a few wolves lurking in the herd. The US government announced ... And: [On the topic of Tony Blair being appointed a Special ME Envoy] There can hardly be a more blatant way of demonstrating the fact that the superpower doesn't perceive Germany as an important player. But despite the slap in the face, the Germans have persevered. "We emphasize political dialogue with all interested parties in the region," Foreign Minister Steinmeier said defiantly. And: The United States believes that it is not obligated to consult with its allies because it feels sufficiently confident in its own strength. This makes it easier for the Americans to take political action than for the Germans to. Whenever the Americans feel that something is truly important to them, they suddenly become unilateralists. They take it upon themselves to make decisions. The Germans, on the other hand, are virtually powerless to make international decisions on their own, and perhaps this is not even their intention. This is why they are multilateralists, their decisions consistently dependent on seeking allies. Germany does want to exert its influence on world events, but its role as a medium-sized power precludes it from being able to assert this claim. And let's not leave out the French: In theory, this should also apply to France. But the Grande Nation perceives itself as being much larger and, for this reason, it has a penchant for acting alone (more...) at times -- especially when a new president apparently has something to prove to the world. At first Paris took its partners in Berlin by surprise when Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French finance minister, was named head of the IMF. President Sarkozy had notified various European countries of the decision ahead of time, but not Berlin. And "Sarko's Audacity": France must "subordinate its national interests to a European strategy," said Andreas Schockenhoff, the deputy leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union's parliamentary group. His Social Democratic counterpart, deputy parliamentary leader Ulrich Kelber, even voiced the suspicion that Sarkozy had only intervened on behalf of the nurses to garner contracts for French industry. "This is really the sort of behavior one would expect from despots," Kelber said. "It makes US President George W. Bush pale by comparison." The outrage of the Chocolate Makers. Posted by: mrp 2007-08-07 |
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