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Politics : Attack Iraq? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (1681)	9/26/2002 10:32:59 PM
From: Raymond Duray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8683

DEUTSCHLAND - DIE ZIET - OPINION lorne, Get yourself out of the gutter. Start reading the real world news and views: EDITORIAL DIE ZIET: 25.09.02 S T A T E R E A S O N Berlin, Washington and the court of the state reason The end of a provincial prank by Josef Joffe How to get rid of ghosts? The chancellor quietly took care of the two loudest. It was the moral-cum-political spokeswoman of the SPD, Herta Daeubler Gmelin, who compared Bush's politics to Hitler's. And then the SPD party whip Ludwig Stiegler, who denigrated Bush as the Imperator in spe of "provincia Germania " and his Ambassador as "Pjotr Abrassimow" - the Soviet proxy, who had the final say in the GDR. The third one, Rudolf Scharping, Schroeder did not need to fire. But on 27 August he damaged the republic in a nearly Moellemannian fashion, when he attributed the US Iraq politics to the power of the "Jewish lobby". (Scharping disclaimed it, but the guests of that Hamburg conference confirmed it.) The fact, that Schroeder applied the antidotes so quickly, is a witness of his intelligence, but it does not save him from the reproach, that it is his own intentional Stimmungsmache, that woke up the spirits, he has now to catch again. What now? An icy wind blows over the Atlantic to Berlin, and Bush's National Security AdvisorRice called the relationship "poisoned". Let us not talk about "gratitude" and "friendship". In the life of the nations such values wither away fast ; we usually use them, when no consequences are expected from us - during anniversaries and popular celebrations. We would rather talk about interests or - somewhat more full-throated - about state reason. Is a "poisoned" relationship to America in the German interest? In principle no European Union state should expose its Atlantic flank, especially so this German half-giant, whose neighbours will never completely overcome their suspicions - and especially not at all because of election tactics caprioles. As long as Europe can not or will not take care of its security, it needs the American reinsurance. The cold war is history, but Bosnia and Kosovo are now. Is it in the German interest to take the military pressure off Saddam Hussein? No. The loud refusal of the assistance, that Bush never requested in the first place, was not commanded by the state reason. Neither were the announcements, that neither the UN mandate nor the proofs, as submitted lately by submitted, would have any weight. The diplomatic spectrum between the pure affront and the blind Nibelungen-like loyalty was as broad as the Elbe on the high point of the tide. But Schroeder did not want to use this maneuvering room; this was an error, which the minister of foreign affairs of Luxembourg may just about afford. If one wants to however really put on oneself with Washington, then not in manners sel. William. Because Berlin is in danger of losing its face when it accuses Bush of the "unilateralism", just to wallow itself in this same sin. Especially so, when neither Rome nor Madrid, neither London nor Paris are pulling along. How such an "European" foreign policy is about to look like, remains the secret of the two election winners, Schroeder and Fischer. Of course they will now send their emissaries (or go themselves) to Washington. But what will they have to say to Mrs Rice and Mr Powell? That Germans just get drunk four times a year - but that they are sober again? That their statements apply only up to the election day? It is the pay day now, because Bush will expect to see some indication of the active regret, for instance: that "foxes" remain in Kuwait, that the German air space and the German US Bases stay open. Even worse: that in the cold weather of Washington Berlin may not hope for all too warm words from London and Paris. Blair's evidence The court of the state reason does not recognize mitigating circumstances such as the reference to election campaign. In any case there is a probation. And this has very little to do with a Kotau before Washington, especially in view of the fact that one ccan argue with Bush about the wisdom, or at least about the correct conditions for an Iraq war. As in the case of any larger middle power, the issue is the balance between egoism and community, between the interior and responsibility policies. In the concrete case: Berlin will either softly have to revise its "never and never" attitude or in an credible fashion weaken the main points of the 50 pages long dossier about Bagdad's weapons of mass destruction, which Tony Blair submitted on Tuesday. The yesterday's provincial prank is now being played out on Berlin. The fact that the Schroeder/Fischer know how to direct has been proven in "Kosovo" to "Afghanistan" acts. It's just that the tolerance margin for bloopers and wrong bets is getting smaller day by day. Editorial die Zeit 25.09.02