| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Der Spiegel expose': Germany Is Ignored! |
| 2007-08-07 |
| 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 |
| #11 The German "neurosis" is very old. Back before the German states were unified, Germans were made fun of around Europe as ignorant rural peasants, despite Prussia, the most rural of all. And this really bugged the Germans, especially after unification, when they rapidly industrialized and developed the world's preeminent chemical and other industries. Even after WWI, the Germans were still very self conscious about being looked down upon, and this was very useful in the rise of Hitler, as he emphasized German pride in a way that they wanted to hear. For their part the French very actively tried "to keep Germany down", even openly proposing that it be remade into an agricultural nation. And national pride can go a long way, for good or ill. Unlike France, however, Germany has had a long run with a strong leader, electing a long tradition of stuffed shirts and mediocritans. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-08-07 23:15 |
| #10 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. Also the rest of the World still remembering the last time. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-08-07 23:10 |
| #9 lotp - exactly the attitude I met working with them. The few NCO's that were any good were resigned to being custodians of these untrained mob of spoiled brats. How far they have fallen. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-08-07 21:38 |
| #8 P2k, it isn't a massive semi-secret German re-armament program that concerns the world today, it's the huge disarmament draw-down that is drawing attention For instance, this 2004 BBC article. Excerpt: Mr Struck said that on top of the closures and spending cuts, the army would be cut by 35,000 troops to about 250,000. That "250,000" is the entire military establishment, with 50,000 personnel being 18-25 yo conscripts. Germany spends about 1.5% of its GDP on defense, which makes Deutschland, for all practical purposes, a US military dependency. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-08-07 19:57 |
| #7 Well, we didn't ignore Germany circa '44-'45. You want that kind of attention again? I think its better for both of us, if we keep it the way it is now. The attention getting Germany was just too expensive. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-08-07 19:05 |
| #6 OK, so I'm at a conference a couple months ago and talking with some Germans involved in their defense establishment. And the senior German guy says that their way of staffing the military is best because it's important to keep the military connected to the people. A worthy goal, I agree, but how to maintain professionalism and skills? His response? They are far less important than insuring that the military's attitudes and values closely match popular culture. Says it all ..... |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-07 17:58 |
| #5 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. Because, you see, all the nations of the West should be docile sheep herded about by Germany because it has such a moral and righteous point of view on things. Spit. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-07 17:11 |
| #4 If I remember correctly, the German conscripts are a) unionized and b) go home on weekends. boggle |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-08-07 16:59 |
| #3 The Germans do not matter because they have destroyed their military and their courage. German conscripts are the worst troops I have EVER worked with - they are far different from those in the 80's. The worst part is - the NCO Corps has rotted in PC-ness and babying of the troops. Best weapon in the world is useless without a fighting spirit behind it. Its to the point where if Germany did seriously try to fight, with the exception of some GSG and special units, they'd get their asses handed to them. THe old joke about a Vietnamese rifle is close to beign true in Germany: For Sale - One slightly used Bundeswehr assault rifle; Never been fired, only dropped once. IMHO, Man for man, the Dutch and French have better troops. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-08-07 16:51 |
| #2 Better be careful, though. Remember what happened last time the Germans were pissed off . . . |
| Posted by: The Doctor 2007-08-07 16:05 |
| #1 How do you say "schadenfreude" in German? |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-08-07 16:04 |