Times are changing in Germany. But many would like to turn the clock back.Anne McElvoy
J.Germany’s Zeitenwende, the latest coinage of a language famous for compound nouns? “Changing Times” announced by the Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, in the aftermath of last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, thundered across a country that, since its reunification in 1990, has thrived on its post-Cold War peace dividend, its status as Europe’s economic powerhouse, and its de facto status. It rolled like Single currency regulators are calling the shots in the Eurozone squeeze.
For reasons evident from the experience of the twentieth century, the Federal Republic today is more content with its role as a proponent of restraint and prudent multilateralism than with decisive action. The Ukraine crisis blew that coolness away and left us internally beleaguered over how to respond and at what cost. last week, newspaper leak In response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, it revealed that Scholz’s promise to supply NATO with a fully equipped army division by 2025 would fall apart. A memo from the military chief questioned whether his army could “hold itself in heavy fighting” and said it could only “fulfill its obligations to NATO to a limited extent”. .context).
In recent weeks, on a road trip for a Radio 4 documentary, exploring the impact of political and economic security pacts, I learned that the Germans Zeitenwendeamid visible changes, challenges and changing expectations, as well as speeches and policy scrutiny in the capital.
In Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast, wild swimmers are welcomed by the Höegh Esperanza, a 300-metre ‘floating storage and regasification unit’. Offering a huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminalbringing in gas (from sources including US fracking) to replace energy that until recently was supplied through trade Companies supported by the Kremlin.
A local Social Democratic politician raves about how German gradualism picked up speed when the coalition government (Social Democrats, Liberal Democrats and Greens) took decisive action. The environmentalists we meet are outraged at the ‘betrayal’ by the Greens in favor of policy change. They worry about water pollution and, with good reason, claim that many of the usual conservation hurdles have been cleared.
The country’s military past and future demands often clash awkwardly, but it’s a reminder that one “changing times” is often quickly overtaken by another. The museum ship in the harbor is named after Werner Molders, the first pilot in aviation history who helped Franco in the Spanish Civil War and shot down 100 enemy planes against France in World War II. . It’s a little unclear in the presentation whether he’s seen as a dashing military ace or an embarrassment of his legacy.
The current Chief of the German Navy, a low-key technocrat trained in Portsmouth in partnership with the Royal Navy, is, so far at least, more aggressive with his forces than existing NATO peacekeeping operations in the Baltic. Told me there was no role.but he’s worried about it Germany Without a return to the degree of conscription that was abolished during the Merkel era, the new demands for manpower to meet growing expectations from NATO cannot be met, a controversy politicians would rather avoid.
In so many ways Germany Dornleschen Grimm’s fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” has the bounty, resources and talent found in everything from car manufacturing to trusted midsize companies and tech startups.At the same time, it Angela Merkel’s long reign While pursuing value-neutral deals with Moscow and Beijing to maintain trade flows wall stand (Prosperity) A model on track. I speak to senior civil servants who serve in cabinets who think they can have ethical policies against Russia or China, but not both at the same time.
about it for now UkraineScholz is outspoken about the strategic mistakes that preceded him. With “Merkel’s calculations” the former German leader was shut down and working on a memoir. “My Excuse” is a brief title suggested by one of her party enemies.
Still, I left a country I had long admired as a “skeptical German enthusiast,” giving Scholz and co-workers the benefit of the doubt as well. Since its invasion, Germany has been asked to change faster than any other European power. In the face of public opinion reluctant to leave peaceful days behind and often wanting the elusive Fudge to restore the status quo, it had to.
Recent Forsa Poll Only 43% agree (down 11 percentage points from this time last year) on whether the Ukrainian issue is important to Germany and should be involved. Little has happened in the last year to address the disastrous defense gap (the oddity of this is, as one official put it, “we really don’t know how to spend money on defense and adequate supplies.”) We forgot about it. We’re learning to do this all over again.” .)
The wheels will spin.New Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced last week that Berlin had swiftly approved Poland’s request for permission to deploy to Ukraine. 5 Cold War era MiG-29 fighters Ironically, it was acquired from Berlin in 2004. “Proof that Germany can be trusted!” Given the delay in sending tanks, Pistorius observed a bold move. However, this is all third-person nuance, and as the events change the balance of power in Europe, Poland could have moved on anyway.
It only deepens the puzzle: what exactly can Germany “trust” and when? Zeitenwende It happened out of necessity, not by choice. As the stakes go up, so does the risk and reward. The “turning point” has just begun.
Summarize this content to 100 words J.Germany’s Zeitenwende, the latest coinage of a language famous for compound nouns? “Changing Times” announced by the Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, in the aftermath of last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, thundered across a country that, since its reunification in 1990, has thrived on its post-Cold War peace dividend, its status as Europe’s economic powerhouse, and its de facto status. It rolled like Single currency regulators are calling the shots in the Eurozone squeeze.For reasons evident from the experience of the twentieth century, the Federal Republic today is more content with its role as a proponent of restraint and prudent multilateralism than with decisive action. The Ukraine crisis blew that coolness away and left us internally beleaguered over how to respond and at what cost. last week, newspaper leak In response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, it revealed that Scholz’s promise to supply NATO with a fully equipped army division by 2025 would fall apart. A memo from the military chief questioned whether his army could “hold itself in heavy fighting” and said it could only “fulfill its obligations to NATO to a limited extent”. .context).In recent weeks, on a road trip for a Radio 4 documentary, exploring the impact of political and economic security pacts, I learned that the Germans Zeitenwendeamid visible changes, challenges and changing expectations, as well as speeches and policy scrutiny in the capital.In Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast, wild swimmers are welcomed by the Höegh Esperanza, a 300-metre ‘floating storage and regasification unit’. Offering a huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminalbringing in gas (from sources including US fracking) to replace energy that until recently was supplied through trade Companies supported by the Kremlin.A local Social Democratic politician raves about how German gradualism picked up speed when the coalition government (Social Democrats, Liberal Democrats and Greens) took decisive action. The environmentalists we meet are outraged at the ‘betrayal’ by the Greens in favor of policy change. They worry about water pollution and, with good reason, claim that many of the usual conservation hurdles have been cleared.Since its invasion, Germany has been asked to change more quickly than any other European power.The country’s military past and future demands often clash awkwardly, but it’s a reminder that one “changing times” is often quickly overtaken by another. The museum ship in the harbor is named after Werner Molders, the first pilot in aviation history who helped Franco in the Spanish Civil War and shot down 100 enemy planes against France in World War II. . It’s a little unclear in the presentation whether he’s seen as a dashing military ace or an embarrassment of his legacy.The current Chief of the German Navy, a low-key technocrat trained in Portsmouth in partnership with the Royal Navy, is, so far at least, more aggressive with his forces than existing NATO peacekeeping operations in the Baltic. Told me there was no role.but he’s worried about it Germany Without a return to the degree of conscription that was abolished during the Merkel era, the new demands for manpower to meet growing expectations from NATO cannot be met, a controversy politicians would rather avoid.In so many ways Germany Dornleschen Grimm’s fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” has the bounty, resources and talent found in everything from car manufacturing to trusted midsize companies and tech startups.At the same time, it Angela Merkel’s long reign While pursuing value-neutral deals with Moscow and Beijing to maintain trade flows wall stand (Prosperity) A model on track. I speak to senior civil servants who serve in cabinets who think they can have ethical policies against Russia or China, but not both at the same time.about it for now UkraineScholz is outspoken about the strategic mistakes that preceded him. With “Merkel’s calculations” the former German leader was shut down and working on a memoir. “My Excuse” is a brief title suggested by one of her party enemies.Still, I left a country I had long admired as a “skeptical German enthusiast,” giving Scholz and co-workers the benefit of the doubt as well. Since its invasion, Germany has been asked to change faster than any other European power. In the face of public opinion reluctant to leave peaceful days behind and often wanting the elusive Fudge to restore the status quo, it had to.Recent Forsa Poll Only 43% agree (down 11 percentage points from this time last year) on whether the Ukrainian issue is important to Germany and should be involved. Little has happened in the last year to address the disastrous defense gap (the oddity of this is, as one official put it, “we really don’t know how to spend money on defense and adequate supplies.”) We forgot about it. We’re learning to do this all over again.” .)The wheels will spin.New Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced last week that Berlin had swiftly approved Poland’s request for permission to deploy to Ukraine. 5 Cold War era MiG-29 fighters Ironically, it was acquired from Berlin in 2004. “Proof that Germany can be trusted!” Given the delay in sending tanks, Pistorius observed a bold move. However, this is all third-person nuance, and as the events change the balance of power in Europe, Poland could have moved on anyway.It only deepens the puzzle: what exactly can Germany “trust” and when? Zeitenwende It happened out of necessity, not by choice. As the stakes go up, so does the risk and reward. The “turning point” has just begun. Anne McElvoy Politico and present German reinvention 18 April at 8pm on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/16/in-germany-times-changing-but-many-would-rather-turn-back-clock Times are changing in Germany. But many would like to turn the clock back.Anne McElvoy