Economic Warriors on Escalation Path

Published in “Neues Deutschland” on 11.08.2014

The Ukraine policy of the Great Coalition (in German Bundestag) is fatal. Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Minister of Foreign Affairs) balances between his publicly displayed roles as economic warrior on the one hand and the last hapless diplomat on the other. In doing so, the SPD Foreign Minister readily lets himself be dragged through the diplomatic arena by the US as well as the governing nationalists and leading fascists in Kiev. Willy Brandt would turn over in his grave. The heritage of his policy of relaxation is trampled by his political grandchildren. This is irresponsible dealing with the peace in Europe a hundred years after the beginning of the First World War.

How badly the christian-social democratic federal government acts, becomes especially clear when looking at the progression of the crisis in Ukraine. For the events of the last months form a chain of monstrosities:

President Victor Janukovich was toppled by an armed mob after sharpshooters created a blood bath on Maidan in February. Until today there are no independet findings on the backgrounds. Obviously the government in Kiev is not interested in an independent investigation. The German federal government is obviously indifferent to this.

After mass demonstrations in Odessa for a federalisation of Ukraine there were at least 48 government opponents in a trade unions building brutally killed by a pro-government rightwing mob on May 2^nd. The people were partly burned alive or cruelly slain after jumping out of a window. This massacre was not investigated by an independent source as well. The German federal government keeps silent on that.

The crash of flight MH17, killing 298 people, is not clarified. Still, the federal government immediately used this tragedy to make Russia at least indirectly responsible for the catastrophe and thus to justify new sanctions.

The Ukrainian president and multi-billionaire Petro Poroshenko from the beginning relied on a military solution of the conflict with the rebels in Eastern Ukraine. In the meantime thousands of people have died. According to the UN, among them are far more then 1000 innocent men, women and children. According to media reports, phosphor grenades and ballistic missiles with enormous destruction potential might have been employed during the latest offensive of Ukrainian forces. Since the safety of civilians can’t be guaranteed during an intervention with such weapon systems in inhabited areas, there is reasonable suspicion of war crimes having been committed. The human rights organisation Human Rights Watch also voiced this concern.

And the German federal government? It does not intend to tell the public about its insights in the employed weapon systems. In a recent reply to my written request the Foreign Office justifies the refusal with the pleaded reason this would allow conclusions on the working methods of the German secret services. The silence of Angela Merkel and Steinmeier on the war – ever more brutally conducted by Kiev – amounts to clandestine approval. This war is funded by EU and IMF money, condoned by the federal government, as well as supported by extremely increased German exports of militarily usable “dual use goods”. With this escalation policy the federal government is co-responsible for Russia being further forced into the conflict – with unforseeable consequences. Even though the government claims to wanting to prevent exactly that with ever more intensified sanctions against Russia.

Where did the irresponsible support of the Kiev government lead so far? To an economic war at the cost of German corporations and employees. And to a permanent escalation which in the meantime threatens the security of the whole of Europe. That’s by now also the view of former Minister of Defense, Volker Rühe (CDU), and other former security politicians. We have to do everything for the “sleepwalkers” Merkel and co. to finally wake up and take a stand for peace instead of pushing the world into an ever more dangerous confrontation at the side of the U.S.