Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. Photo: Sandro Haloink, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0
Munchner Speech: Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer does not want to stand on the edge. A guest commentary
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer stands heavily under prere by the particularly bad survey values of the last time, trend. But it tends to sign their verbal powerhouse music, one wanted to see the compensation for the falling popularity in their military interest rates alone.
Conversely, Kramp cartewower is looking for taboo breakage and formulates strategic interests in Trump’s openness ("We secure the OL in Syria"), without having consequences as in the past, for example, when Horst Kohler had to compete, because he said too open why German soldiers are used abroad.
In your Munchener speech at the University of the Bundeswehr of 7. November 2019 says Defense Minister, whereupon it arrives in the future: "Not only predetermined, but really drove." Germany should drove in the world, "which rates out of the joints". And the opponents are named immediately, which stand in the way of the new leadership role in Germany as "Developments that demand our security policy": That’s first "Russian aggression in Ukraine and in particular the marketing annexation of the Crimea", "The world-spanning networks of terrorism" and the "Power Policy Rise of China".
A new age of imperialism
Kramp Karrenbauer conjured almost a new age of imperialism: "We are currently experiencing a juvenity of the competition gross made of influence and supremacy." And here, so battery must Germany "become more active", around "to protect our values and interests". Germany is one "Commercial nation" and "Instructed on free and peaceful sea paths".
As in 1897, the spatere Reichkanzler Bernhard von Bulow formulated: "With a words: We do not want anyone in the shadows, but we demand our place at the sun" – In concern about this from his view of the colonies in the world to short-coming Germany, so limited to the rise of Germany’s rise as well as military-acting global power under the keyword to go to the center of world events: "A country of our gross and our economic and technological force, a country of our geostrategic location and with our global interests, which can not just stand and watch them."
And during all, thanks to all the past, the descent is predicted, this is at the same time the driver for the even stronger wish for an increase in Germany. ACK is important to emphasize that one is already involved in Afghanistan and Mali, but at the same time she complains that in Syria and Iraq "The Peschmerga the victims complain (had) – not we".
Willingness to war for own interests
For Germany’s rise, so the message of the Minister of Defense, should be brought to victims, human victims. The willingness to war too strong is their ultimate concern. AKK diagnosed a "Culture of accessibility", who wants to overwind. Germany should show readiness "The spectrum of military resources except to exploit". Akke does nothing more than the willingness to war for its own interests, for example to protect trade routes or emerging, as China, to point to the barriers and to praise the summoned alleged Russian threat.
For this she wants to take the NATO and the EU even stronger. She builds on alliances of the European gross, such as the German-French tandem or the EU3 – Great Britain, Germany and France. Europe is the vehicle for you "strong" to be, "economical, political, military". Without these alliances Germany can not work out because of his past.
The German past is the reason why we need to continue a parliamentary participation law for foreign assignments of the Bundeswehr, which she wants to grind for NATO and EU missions, but it is important – not for parliamentary control, but for democratic legitimity. "A legitimate, just overlooking our past, we needed a real advantage", so the Minister of Defense.
Cheers on rusts
AKK makes it clear that global military power projection costs. Regularly it is urged that in the rusts "The sound wall of 50 billion broken" became. Calling in the imperialist interest is the special focus of the Minister of Defense, until 2024 to 1.5% of GDP and by 2031 to 2% of GDP or – as a study of the Foundation SWP calculated – to 85 billion euros.
It is clear that this gigantic recess will be accompanied when retaining the black zero with a social-political clearing. For AKK is no problem, a financing of your expenditure enhancement program does not lose a single word in the Munchener speech.
Farewell to the old Federal Republic: National Security Council
But also in the decision structures should be farewell to the old Federal Republic. A National Security Council should be the "Continuous Federal Security Council with enrolled tasks and tasks". AKKS National Security Council expects the fiction that Germany is permanently in the war.
He is de facto political governor, which Germany did not have for so long. Of course, a general rod knitted after the concept of networked security, "A place where is brought together, which was aware of the creation of a humanitat-based order. Diplomacy, militar, economy and commerce, internal security and development cooperation." Short: "Such a national security council has become our contribution to international crisis abolition faster and more effective."
Particularly evident is AKKS expressed willingness to challenge Russia, but above all China also challenge. "Our partners in the Indo-Pacific region – especially Australia, Japan and Sudkorea, but also India – Fuhlen is increasingly prefetched by China’s power claim. She wishes a clear sign of the solidarity. For applicable international law, for intact territory, for free shipping."
Akk promises to absorb the akin to China also militarize. Germany should be a Pacific power. "It is time for Germany to put such a sign by pointing to our composite Prasenz in the region", so the formulated power claim.
Fire-risked tarpaulin
Here, however, the core of the problem of Defense Minister is already. For all the formulated power sensing, the use of still significantly requires more resources. The formulated open confrontation policy against Russia and China will certainly call on the plan. This makes the development of martial threats by the Minister of Defense but conceivable.
And as far as the enforcement of this fire-risk planner is concerned, no resistance is expected from the SPD’s SPD. Verbal is defended against the chance goals, real was allowed to land until 2024 but exactly the call to 1.5% of GDP (65 billion euros).
And the Social Democratic Foreign Minister is a friend of regime-change wars and a confrontation policy against Russia and China. Heiko Maas only protests, if one informs him the planned military inserts by SMS as in the case of Syria, because then becomes too obvious that he has nothing to order in the cabinet and no one takes him seriously.
Sevim Dagdelen is Deputy Chairman and Rolling Speaker of the Group DIE LINKE in the German Bundestag