GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIR: GERMANY MUST TAKE UP THE MANTLE OF ...
Where have we heard this before?
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeir recently gave a speech to a group of assembled German businessmen that recalls similar meetings and statements of eighty years ago: the Freundenkreiz of Heinrich Himmler, a "circle of friends", major industrialists, armaments producers, and of course chemical cartelists, that included Fritz Thyssen and I.G. Farben's Herman Schmitz. Ponder this one carefully:
German Foreign Minister Steinmeier’s Great Power Speech to Big Business
Now I do not for a moment believe that these elitists' views are those of most Germans, but at least it's refreshing to note that Germany's power elites are as nuts as those of Great Britain, France, the USA, and so on. But in all seriousness, there is much to note in this article. Consider the implications of these statements:
"Like the soon to become Führer, Steinmeier made a direct appeal to German big business to support Germany’s rise to be a world power. He explicitly called on big business to support him and the government in pushing through a militarist foreign policy turn against the will of the people.
"Steinmeier’s programme strongly recalls the German lust for power, once believed to be a thing of the past. “Germany should ‘lead Europe to lead the world’, ‘Europeanise Russia’ and ‘multilateralise the US’”, Steinmeier demanded, citing an essay that has been featured on an official web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for months. He added, “No small task!”
"The implications of these words are unmistakable. Germany’s return to an aggressive foreign policy runs along similar channels as followed in the first half of the 20th century. The German elites once again see it as their “task” to dominate Europe in order to become a world power. Today, as before, this programme of German imperialism means conflict with Russia and the United States.
"To “Europeanize Russia” means nothing other than to subordinate Russia to a Europe controlled by Germany. To “multilateralise the US” means to contest the role of the United States as the world hegemon. In other words, German foreign policy in the future will develop increasingly in opposition to the two powers against which it has already waged two world wars.
"After the crimes of the Nazi regime, the German elites are, at least for now, still trying to present their programme of a third “grab for world power” as if it were being imposed on them from the outside. Every day, “the expectation of German involvement” is encountered from our “partners abroad”, Steinmeier protested at the Adlon. He had therefore “asked a large group of international experts to formulate their expectations of German foreign policy”.(Emphasis added)
And later on:
Steinmeier’s speech was remarkable not only for its call for German leadership in the world. It also expressed an openly imperialist programme. At its core was the conclusion that in a world that is increasingly dominated by national conflicts, Germany’s global interests can no longer be pursued by purely economic means, but must rely on foreign policy and military force.
At the beginning of his remarks, Steinmeier said that it was no accident that “at the end of this turbulent year of 2014”, he was opening this business congress with a “decidedly foreign policy speech”. In his “entire political biography”, he could “not remember a time in which international crises in such great number, in so many places in the world, of such different nature, are assailing us simultaneously as is the case today.”
The German foreign minister drew a picture of a global situation that is strongly reminiscent of the world before the Second World War. A world in which “the struggle for influence and domination” prevails, “crisis is the new normal”, clear “cracks and divides” come forward and “we stare at the differences between states, peoples and cultures”. Even “in dealing with our closest partners, especially the United States”, the “public debate is dominated by differences, not common ground.”
Economically, a “return to stronger national borders” could be seen following the financial and economic crisis of 2008. This development is a challenge for both economic and foreign policy, especially for Germany, he said. The “recession of globalization” threatened the “export-driven economy”, while the “peak of contradictions” undermined the “tools of the diplomats”.((Emphasis added)
Now, lest one think that the Bundeswehr is going to transform into another Wehrmacht and go marching across Europe and sending U-boats into all the oceans of the world to sink American shipping, you can relax. Herr Steinmeir isn't saying that, in spite of the best efforts to make it appear that he said that.
The key is given in his reference to "the export-driven" German economy. This reference is pointing out the fact that little has changed since the unification of Germany in the proclamation of the Kaiserreich at Versailles in 1871. Now, like then, Germany is a bundle of strategic imperatives that it simply cannot escape: they were not of the Kaiser's, or for that matter, Hitler's making. A huge industrial, engineering and manufacturing capacity sits perched atop a relatively small population base, an even narrower and more restricted geographic area without strategic depth, a lack of national natural resources crucial to modern manufacture, and hence, a dependency on energy and resource imports and manufactured, high-end precision exports. Consider only the fact that Germany's is the fourth (or, depending on who you look at, fifth) largest economy in the world, atop a population base of only 80,000,000 in a country the size of the state of Texas, and you get the idea.
So we come to Herr Steinmeir's statements about multilateralizing the USA and Europeanizing Russia. What Steinmeir is proposing is something I've been predicting for a number of years: the careful German diplomatic tight-rope walking has but one purpose, and that is to secure Germany's position within Europe and the EU, and once secure, to free itself - and Europe - from the constricting confines of NATO, and US policy dominance, and to constitute a power bloc able, in turn, to counterbalance Russia. This is a long term strategy, so one can expect more "contradictory" signals coming out of Germany, like pledging to cooperate with Russia on space missions, while simultaneously slapping more sanctions on that nation.
But you can forget about a German invasion of the USA, or Russia for that matter. Steinmeir's mention of the use of military force in German foreign policy is meant to indicate that we're more likely to see German interventions in areas where its economic and export-import interests are imperiled. Chancellor Kohl's early and unilateral recognition of Croatia comes to mind. IN other words, expect Germany over the next several years to increasingly look like the USA, sending troops to hot spots that affect its economy. But Unternehmung Barbarossa II is not in the cards. The real goal here, as I've been arguing all along, is a slow gradual prying away of the American fingers around Europe's throat.
Germany, in other words, wants to go - for those who know the reference, here it comes - the "third way."
See you on the flip side...
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Time to speculate with some of Dr F’s own work as a basis. If the Germans did invent some energy devices like cold fusion in Argentina and perhaps even some “Bell” type work then maybe now they are planning to deploy it?
Several problems in the way. The USSA & the USSR .
Having all of Europe under German economic control via the flow of cheap, clean energy to all who toe the line (German line that is) would completely ruin Russia’s control of the continent and their economy would take a huge hit.
The USA might like Russia being cut out of Europe’s energy future but of course they don’t want someone else controlling it. They want everyone to waltz to their tune. Independent thought and actions are frowned on. Control freak central. Once energy independence is achieved in Germany can financial independence be far behind? The Euro would then seriously challenge the dollar for trade and we all know what happens to countries that challenge the dollar supremacy!
So why the “military” angle to the speech? You have how many USA bases and soldiers on German soil? They are still an occupied country. They need a stronger military so that the USA troops can be redeployed east in Poland etc. Until they get rid of the occupation forces they are just another colony and they won’t be allowed to bring out any new energy technology.
Watch for US bases and gold repatriation to be issues in the next German election cycle.
There is such a strong global appetite for relief from US domination that this kind of sentiment could catch on. Many of us in UK and Europe regard ourselves as ‘ occupied with some internal autonomy ” because of the very high level of US military presence, and our leaders eager participation in every outrage and failure of US policy.
Perhaps Germany has some knowledge for energy that the rest of the world dismisses.
dependence on Russia would not be a necessity.
Another interesting note on this “Germany” question is where are Europeans going to get there oil? They cut the pipeline deal.
The interesting part for me was looking at what F William Engdahl & Michael Hudson had to say on this. Like Dr. Farrell, they can strip all the Orwellian Double Speak out of the laimstreaqm new’s presstitutes, and deal the information out straight, as it should be. Michael Hudson’s latest video on the South Stream Pipeline deal by Russia, was pulled off youtube & The Real News web sites. However, his printed words were not disappeared.
http://michael-hudson.com/
Who is ultimately pulling the strings of power?
The International Centralized Banking cartel?
The National Security State[which is actually international],
also calling the shots of the $$$ied cartel?
A Nazi International that is flexing its muscle more & more?
An “alien” presence that pulls strings w/o human conscious awareness?
The one certain aspect to all of this is that the vast majority of Earth’s citizens are against these insane policies that are being being carried out by non-representative governments.
Who indeed. Maybe “all of the above”…
I like the idea of the “third way”. I am thinking this is the way Russia is trying to head too. With the unipolar world we have now in such disarray surely the pendulum has swung low enough that we can look to better things in the future.
You might consider Herr Steinmeir’ comments as “wind”, but there’s no doubting Germany as an economic powerhouse. The only thing that Germany is missing is the ability to go into space, or are they?
The ESA is a very large organization, but who runs it? space is the new frontier and who ever controls space, well you know the rest.
The Germans like the Japanese are sick of being occupied for a war that is almost 70 years gone. Our Pax Americana has had little Pax and our demands to support our “War w/o End Amen” foreign policies are wearing thin on our “allies”. Not to mention our enemies. Where you can cooperate fully with the US and still get bombed into the stone age. It is no surprise Germany wants to stand on it’s own two feet again.
he could “not remember a time in which international crises in such great number, in so many places in the world, of such different nature, are assailing us simultaneously as is the case today.”
These Germans really do have short memories. The last time the world has had any semblance of peace was that all too brief span of a couple thousand years after Atlantis imploded and before the Tower of Babel moment. And that was probably due to the fact that homo sapiens were pretty scarce after the ice melt cataclysms. Even then, we still managed to make every other biped extinct. Maybe food was scarce as well. I imagine roasted homo floresiensis would taste pretty good after eating only berries and roots for a couple months.
I suspect this titan of German industry has probably taken 30 pieces of silver from the banksters to put a little chill in German-Russian relations. He does a good job reminding the Russians that the Germans are hopelessly nationalistic and imperialistic and they have no intention of forging a fair and mutually beneficial partnership with Russia. The anti-US talk was just theater to make Germany appear like they are steering their own course for the future. I would wager this floozy stopped over at the US Embassy on the way home and met with his CFR/CIA/Neo-con handlers who rewarded him by sealing up those nude pictures of him with those young Turkish boys and then letting him go into the Embassy basement for some ceremonial blood letting.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the banksters are shopping around for a new host after running the US and England into the ground. What better place then wealthy and industrious, post-Christian, Germany where it is officially illegal to criticize invading nomadic people. Unless of course the banksters are preparing to enrich, empower, and amuse themselves with another world war against Germany. It has worked so well in the past. Imagine if in a couple years Americans are cheering on our great war ally Putin like he is Uncle Joe Stalin? Deja vu all over again.
I for one would be happy to see WWIII commence. I’m just bored out of my mind with the current crap being offered up on my tv. I can’t find anything to watch for more than five minutes, even with a healthy dose of meds. The only thing that was half way entertaining was the Ferguson riots. I wish they would turn that into a permanent reality show. Maybe move it to a different city each new television season. But a WWIII reality show… what could be better than that? It would take at least a couple years before one could get bored of that action and then they could just move the destruction to outer space. And if they rolled out robots, cyborgs, chimeras and golems for combat? How awesome would that be? I would suggest warming up the tv viewers with some massive naval battles and then step it up a notch with some severe weather wars and meteor bombardments. Imagine if the networks could get cameras in the houses of the enemy civilians while we clobbered them with our entire space based war arsenal? That would be an Emmy award for sure. And then we send the Red Cross over there to help them but the Red Cross secretly gives them ebola. Oh wait, that’s already been done before.
The first thing I did when I read this story was to smile at what seems to be a knee-jerk fear reaction to even the slightest indication that Germany should like to take its place as a leader on the world stage.
To liken Steinmeier to Hitler is to say that German politics can always be reduced to a single strong personality and that other German politicians and the German public have remained the same leaderless ungulates with low self-esteem for more than 100 years, which is ridiculous. At this point, it is not apparent that Steinmeier has the propaganda machine backing of the British and American governments, as did Hitler. In fact, Steinmeier’s backing seems to have come to him through policies of inclusiveness and decency, which seem modern, enlightened, BRICS-like…and un-American-imperialist.
It seems to me the world has cowered in fear of Germany too many times and tried to crush them as though they were the world’s bully. Might it not be better to welcome them as equals and make no attempt to squelch them this time around? After all, it’s not like America has done such a terrific job attempting to lead the world…
Another educated barbarian shooting off his mouth. The Germans blow it a far back a 9 AD when they destroyed the 17, 18, 19 Legions under Quintus Varus,. What did it get Herman ten years as king of the Germans before they got sick of his rule and dispose of him. If they had played the game right they would have taken over the Roman Empire united Europe and would have been like the Macedonians uniting Greece or the Chin uniting China. But their short sighted greed has always defeated them.
Interesting, that you mention Herman (Ermin). That’s the scource code I guess. Did you read Friedrich Hielscher? He has the same point of departure on how and why the german state, or better “das Reich” failed – short sightedness. Always, for more than two millenia.
NO Destinova I never heard of Friedrich Hielscher do you know of any books he written on this subject that are available in English translation.
Well Marcos,
I know this one book he wrote on the subject: “Das Reich”,which impressed me quite a bit, but I have never seen an english translation. Take Wiki on Hielscher cum grano salis.
No ofence Marcus (and no offence to Germans either) but Germans back then weren;t in any position to take over the Roman Empire or unite Europe.
In fact few years after VArus defeat the Romans were back for blood, and Germanicus masacred whatever German tribes he met over the Rhine and trampled all over Arminius/Herman armies wherever he meet them. Arminius barely escaped alive playing dead on the battlefield and Romans were going back and forth up to the North Sea. It was just the poor area (lack of resources and even strategic importance for Romans) and the idea of the emperor Tiberius that a glorious Germanicus coming to Rome with his army after he had fully conquered that part of Germania will be a danger for his throne that stoped Romans to fully make Germany over the Rhine in a province.
The only force that sort of united Europe was actually the Roman Empire. This imposed the Latin alphabet, the religion he adopted (Christianity), laws and even the language as Latin is present in the vocabulary of many languages and make even the majority of English language vocabulary from what I understand.
Romans were the only ones able to unite large parts of Europe (and influence it ever since) and make it a world superpower, no one else was in that position after that, nor Germany, not UK, not France (France was the closest with Napoleon and Germany with Hitler but these were for insignificant periods at history scale compared with the Roman Empire).
Maybe European Union try to recreate that succes (there are even some propositions to make Latin again the “lingua franca” in EU) but is still far from doing such.
Germany may play a role in steping up the EU power but as far as I see the things Germany lack the far sighted view and concepts, as someone said above
But Germany is in the same time the strongest EU economy so can surely can steer it in some direction at least partially or for some shorter period, if not for a longer road.
But again, I am not sure how much and what actual forces can be behind pulling the strings from the shadows, and to what end
“To “Europeanize Russia” means nothing other than to subordinate Russia”
That interpretation just cannot be correct (imho). My interpretation would be “to try and pull Russia closer to Europe” (as opposed to Asia). For Germany to unilaterally force Russia to do anything (without Russia’s cooperation) seems a bit silly . . . .
So often the words of a journalist are just opinions without any backing.
I took the liberty to read Steinmeier’s speech in the original transcript on the homepage of the Außwärtige Amt (german foreign departement).
Take it easy, the quotes on “taking up the mantle of world leadership” simply isn’t there. Military intervention is not mentioned at all. The ‘Europeanise Russia’
and ‘lead Europe to lead the world“ quotes he cites from these experts you mentioned, and are in fact often encountered also with American contacts.
Don’t fall for a socialist network that easily
The speech calls for a more active role in german foreign policy, than what we have seen in the past – yes. To put that in context to the Kaiser, let alone Himmler is very misleading, which is a pity. He has the charisma of “a sedated owl”, as a comedian called it. Steinmeier is a social democrat, these guys are dreadful because the stumble into every crisis they can find, but lack any initiative. They act this way for more than a hundred years. He would rather bite is tongue off, than hinting to a third way.
There are sinister things lurking in and around Germany, especially if we look at the secret service cabal and the nazi murders, but certainly not in the form of Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
You can do better than that.
Deeply disturbing. Remember how it turned out last time?
Comparing the state (wages, vacations etc) of the educated working class, teachers, autoworkers etc to their American counterparts it is clear that the Germany won WW2. Throw in a proportional representative government compared to our red moron vs blue moron system as the icing on the cake.
Taken at face value, this policy seems remarkable outdated, implying a new Drang nach Osten – something already under way in the Ukraine, behind the screen of US neocons. What will this “drive” be based on, old-fashioned debt-based money (i.e. Bundesbank-style austerity to steal the assets of other European countries) and heavy industry? It is interesting to see what is NOT mentioned: the “N” word of German nuclear capability. And the new strategic “high ground” of space as the real key in the financial and military sectors…