Germany's soft stance on Russian aggression towards Ukraine concerns NATO allies

[Tangmo]

Foreign Policy zine is a hard hitting American journal that, as the excerpted below make clear, pulls no punches in its defense of democracy and the Western liberal idea.

How to Stop Former Western Leaders From Becoming Paid Shills for Autocrats​

From Gerhard Schröder to Tony Blair, former officials have cashed in by repping autocrats and their proxies.​

By Casey Michel, an investigative journalist and Benjamin L. Schmitt, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University.


Earlier this month as Russian President Vladimir Putin exacerbated the ongoing European Union gas crisis, a bit of news emerged that was emblematic of Moscow’s strategy to undermine a unified trans-Atlantic response: Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant, nominated former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to a new position on the firm’s board of directors. Putin welcomed his nomination while standing next to [the numbnuts] current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow. A few things are clear. First, even if Schröder doesn’t land the new position, he’ll still have a soft landing: The former chancellor is already chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft, as well as chairman of the shareholders committee of Gazprom-Nord Stream AG, both of which have welcomed Schröder into their oleaginous embrace.

Second, any hope that shame and morality alone would deter former Western politicians from avoiding the kinds of contracts with authoritarian enterprises that Schröder has pioneered is dead and buried. During his visit to Washington last week, Scholz—of the same German Social Democratic Party as Schröder—was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper what message his predecessor’s Russian positions send. Instead of seizing the opportunity to lead by repudiating Schröder’s actions, the best Scholz could muster was a flustered, “He’s not the government. I am the chancellor now.” That Schröder’s Gazprom nomination could still take place amid Russia’s current threat posture shows that no amount of public shame will reverse this trend across the West. The time has finally come for democratic governments around the globe to join together to formally and legally bar ex-leaders from following in Schröder’s path and becoming symbolic henchmen in the spread of kleptocratic dictatorship worldwide.

How to Stop Former Western Leaders From Becoming Paid Shills for Autocrats

From Gerhard Schröder to Tony Blair, former officials have cashed in by repping autocrats and their proxies.

foreignpolicy.com

The time is well overdue in fact.

 

[Tangmo]

Biden read Scholz the Riot Act when the chancellor was in Washington on Monday.

Put the fear of God in Scholz he did....

In joust with Putin, Germany's Scholz displays more assertive style​

• Scholz has faced criticism of being weak on Russia
• Robust performance in Moscow helps assuage such fears
• Scholz pushes back against Putin criticism of NATO
• Scholz 'finally puts his foot down'-top-selling Bild

MOSCOW/BERLIN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has faced accusations of weak leadership in the Ukraine crisis and of being too soft on Russia, but his unexpectedly combative stance in talks in the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin has earned him plaudits. When Putin criticised NATO saying it had launched a war in Europe by bombing Serbia in 1999, Scholz hit back, saying this was done to prevent genocide. Scholz also poked fun at Putin's fears of NATO's eastern enlargement and at the Russian leader's lengthy time in power. "I don't quite know how long the president plans to stay in office," he said, with a grin towards Putin, who has led Russia for more than two decades. "I have a feeling this could be a long time, but not forever."


"In Moscow, Olaf Scholz finally puts his foot down," wrote Germany's top-selling Bild newspaper, which has been critical of the Social Democrat chancellor's performance. Der Spiegel weekly said Scholz's trip had marked a "kind of foreign policy emancipation". Marcel Dirsus, Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University [said] the mere fact of the Moscow visit, along with Scholz's performance, suggest that "Berlin is waking up, they've realised this is a serious situation one can't sit out, and their inaction is interpreted as indirect support for Moscow. And they've toughened their stance." Scholz also voiced concerns at the joint news conference about human rights and media freedoms in Russia. Scholz later met various Russian activists.

In joust with Putin, Germany's Scholz displays more assertive style

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has faced accusations of weak leadership in the Ukraine crisis and of being too soft on Russia, but his unexpectedly combative stance in talks in the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin has earned him plaudits.

www.reuters.com

Merkelovovich of the CDU never said that or anything like it during her 16 year reign capped for most of it by her being Putin's BFF in all of Europe, never mind in Germany. Indeed, Scholz being of the SPD originator of Ostpolitik going back decades with the Russian Soviet Union, reversing Merkel's overlooking Russia's anti democracy and anti human rights record marks a new day in German domestic politics and, concomitantly, in German foreign policy.

The new SPD leader Lars Klingbeil who masterminded Scholz successful election campaign last year said in his December acceptance speech that "Germany should reassess its long-held strategy of seeking to bring about change in authoritarian societies through rapprochement given developments in Russia and China." Klingbeil's assertions are virtually revolutionary because they reflect soul-searching in the SPD which historically has sought sycophantic engagement with Russia. Klingbeil said to the SPD convention that "We haven't found a convincing way to deal with authoritarian states. I wonder if the [SPD] decades-old concept of trying to bring about change in a country through closer ties and economic relations is still relevant." So it is clear SPD is working anew to find the right approach towards the Kremlin Krime Mafia.

This is encouraging indeed.

So people who try to accuse others of not knowing German history or the DNA of the German people need to reconsider their wrongheaded views. It's obvious indeed their knowledge of 20th century history as a manifestation of German history is boneheaded. Germany may instead be beginning to recognize and accept in meaningful and significant terms that in the 21st century it needs a profound introspection. After all, this is what is occurring in Germany in the present profound and significant -- historical -- crisis over Ukraine. Yet the crisis is not about Ukraine, it is for the NATO Western Trans Atlantic Alliance about Germany.

 

[Chagos]

More reams and reams of the billboarding variety, showing, as outlined, nothing but biased opinionated misconceptions of Germany, with no desire to obtain some objective assessment by researching the other side's position and perhaps treating it (even in disagreement) with some respect.

Notice also the flippant "flash in the pan" dismissal of US hypocrisy over it buying substantial amounts of Russian oil, while simultaneously demanding that Germany forsake supplies of Russian gas.

"Germany is and always has been Russia's Fifth Column in Nato, simply because I say so"

Tedious Gish-galloping repetitiveness of no objective information value whatsoever.

With pursuit of the principle "if you can't address others by brilliance, smother them with bullshit", preferably by otherwise empty verbosity, and failing as always.

One might yawn but the stuff described above deserves not even that.

 

[Chagos]

To somewhat expand the biased picture of Germany that our resident Germany-basher on here appears to be so obsessed with presenting:

Note that when Shrub, on the NATO summit of 2008 in Bucharest, almost bullyingly pushed for entry of both Ukraine and Georgia to enter NATO, most other NATO members rejected the US ambition.

The strongest members of the veto fraction having been France and Germany.

Note also that, during his last visit to Moscow, Scholz pointed out to Putin that any potential entry of Ukraine into either EU or NATO is not on the table and won't be within either Scholz's or the thug's term in office and, most likely. beyond either term. A position that Germany has held since even before this crisis.

With Scholz's snide barb added that, of course, he doesn't know how long Putin expects to hold office (addressed at Putin's desired ambition to hold office for life).

Lastly, to address the laughable and utterly stupid claim in post # 52 that "knowledge of 20th century history as a manifestation of German history is boneheaded", any knowledge (if it indeed deserves the label) is valuable.

It is more the delusion of being possessed of such knowledge while actually holding only a bucket of bovine manure that, in its stubborn refusal to recognize the extent of own ignorance, is bone-headed.

At the end of the day also very stupid.

 

[Tangmo]

More reams and reams of the billboarding variety, showing, as outlined, nothing but biased opinionated misconceptions of Germany, with no desire to obtain some objective assessment by researching the other side's position and perhaps treating it (even in disagreement) with some respect.

Notice also the flippant "flash in the pan" dismissal of US hypocrisy over it buying substantial amounts of Russian oil, while simultaneously demanding that Germany forsake supplies of Russian gas.

"Germany is and always has been Russia's Fifth Column in Nato, simply because I say so"

Tedious Gish-galloping repetitiveness of no objective information value whatsoever.

With pursuit of the principle "if you can't address others by brilliance, smother them with bullshit", preferably by otherwise empty verbosity, and failing as always.

One might yawn but the stuff described above deserves not even that.

To somewhat expand the biased picture of Germany that our resident Germany-basher on here appears to be so obsessed with presenting:

Note that when Shrub, on the NATO summit of 2008 in Bucharest, almost bullyingly pushed for entry of both Ukraine and Georgia to enter NATO, most other NATO members rejected the US ambition.

The strongest members of the veto fraction having been France and Germany.

Note also that, during his last visit to Moscow, Scholz pointed out to Putin that any potential entry of Ukraine into either EU or NATO is not on the table and won't be within either Scholz's or the thug's term in office and, most likely. beyond either term. A position that Germany has held since even before this crisis.

With Scholz's snide barb added that, of course, he doesn't know how long Putin expects to hold office (addressed at Putin's desired ambition to hold office for life).

Lastly, to address the laughable and utterly stupid claim in post # 52 that "knowledge of 20th century history as a manifestation of German history is boneheaded", any knowledge (if it indeed deserves the label) is valuable.

It is more the delusion of being possessed of such knowledge while actually holding only a bucket of bovine manure that, in its stubborn refusal to recognize the extent of own ignorance, is bone-headed.

At the end of the day also very stupid.

The issues are present, prolific, pressing and speak for themselves.

When you have even one let me know plse thx. Other than being blindly pro Germania.

Because so far it's all ad hominem.

 

[Tangmo]

Indeed, some certain people on that side haven't any arguments.

Haven't any case to make.

Only vague references and general baloney.

 

[Chagos]

continuation as pointless as a math teacher arguing with a student who keeps insisting that 2 + 2 equals six.

no más

 

[Juin]

Ukrains entry into NATO or the EU is and was always a BS argument of the Russians. Putin can not get old enough for that to be considered.

And the reason Ukrainian accession to Nato is no more under consideration is because the Russian Dictator has mobilized an Army to make it an expensive pick up. So it is far from a BS argument. And I suppose Georgian accession is also off the table. The reason the accession of both is no more under consideration is thanks to the Dictator and not some magnanimity from Scholz.

 

[Juin]

But those are the facts. Show us where no NATO expansion was put down in the 4+2 contract.

And that is exactly why this time around the Russian Dictator wants written guarantees. Scholz quipping that Ukraine is not under consideration will not do.

What Genscher said, might have said is completely unimportant, what is important and counts is the contract, which ended the cold war and allowed Germany's reunification.

It may have been unimportant from the German perspective and interests but definitely detrimental to Russian long term interests.

 

[Tangmo]

continuation as pointless as a math teacher arguing with a student who keeps insisting that 2 + 2 equals six.

no más

I'm looking at a guy whose hopelessly vague and accusative posts not only are absent specifics, issues and particulars in any kind of structured argument, but a guy whos also demonstrates once again that 0 + 0 = 0.