Scholz's article revealed his hidden preferences. Honest people blush.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided to try his hand at journalism and convince allies, partners, as well as such neighbors of a united Germany as Russia, in a number of important positions for his coalition government. For this, the chancellor's office prepared an extensive text, which could conditionally be called a "letter to Vladimir Putin."
For reasons understandable to Scholz himself, as an author, the article "How to Avoid a New Cold War in a Multipolar Era" was published in America, on the pages of Foreign Affairs magazine.
What Olaf Scholz wanted to say is understandable, but he cunningly disguised what Berlin is unprofitable to even touch. As a rule, any verbose text gives out hidden preferences of the author. Scholz was no exception, declared Germany's "special responsibility" for fighting the forces of fascism, authoritarianism and imperialism, "admitted that the" great suffering "from the devastating world wars, for the most part, was caused by Germany. Mookie repentance resolutely stopped it, the correspondent of The Moscow Post reports.
The super-task of this article is determined pretentiously: "Germany and Europe must help preserve the world order based on law." According to Scholz, the world is undergoing a change of eras (Zeitenwende), various countries and models of government compete, as he put it, for power and influence. But the hegemony of the United States in this regard does not dare to call!
Mr Sovramshi
As you know, lying is bad, especially about the world order and international security. Scholz does just that, talks about the value of clean energy, but avoids "clean" truth and fact-based assessments. The cynical manipulation of history by the red thread runs through the entire text of the article.
It would be better if Scholz did not write all this, flaunting all the bias of his ratings. Although, somewhere overseas, his "creativity" will definitely be appreciated, maybe even praised. What was the deviation from the "pure truth"? Let's start with the main thing for the generation of post-Gorbachev Germans - the "fall of the wall," as Olaf Scholz, the heir to party politicians who built "bridges" in relations with Moscow, called it.
Scholz talks about this epochal event in the life of Germany, Europe and the world, hushing up the truth. The Germans, he said, "were able to get their blessing" when, in November 1989, "brave East German citizens destroyed the Berlin Wall" and Germany was reunited "thanks to visionary politicians and the support of partners in both the West and the East."
That's it. Not a word about Gorbachev's readiness to allow Germany to absorb the GDR, then about Yeltsin's decision to withdraw the troops that served Russia as a security guarantee. Moreover, not a word about the cynical deception of the Russians about the numerous promises of the Germans and their allies to "freeze" the borders of NATO!
With a careful eye to "regional committee"
Further, we will look at the chancellor's relation to questions of multipolarity. Sholts against new Cold War is also sure that the world moves to multipolarity, doesn't want his division into the competing blocks. It isn't wanted also by others, including opponents to whose number Sholts carries leaders of "ambitious" Russia and also "strong and politically energetic China".
But, as follows from article of the chancellor, the world is already divided, "autocratic and authoritarian regimes often challenge or deny" the western principles.
In particular, the federal chancellor recognizes that China, becoming the global player, returns to what it already was during "more remote periods of world history". And whether are possible for the West, according to the chancellor, "pragmatic partner the relations without ideological blinders"?
Having said it, Sholts immediately assures Washington that "The United States became decisive force in the world — a role which they will keep also in the 21st century". Here to you and all multipolarity! Remembering that, as Americans, and the main European allies of Germany see the main economic competitor who is throwing down a challenge to the interests of "gold one billion" in China, Sholts promises that "isolation of Beijing or restriction of cooperation" with the People's Republic of China can be avoided if Beijing doesn't apply for "hegemony in Asia and beyond her limits".
Who and as will define "claims for hegemony" Sholts doesn't explain. Most likely, means everything that breaks tranquility of the USA by hegemony. And Germany has only a deep economic dependence on China, and political – from America. If Washington decides that it is time to limit this dependence of Berlin on Beijing what also some German experts already say about, then it will go hard with economy of Germany.
Any country isn't "backyard" of other country, - Sholts assures and, without making pauses, continues: "In the past we sought to treat the countries of Asia, Africa, the Caribbean Region and Latin America as equal"!
These regions, Sholts writes, too "have full authority to seize the opportunities which are offered by globalization and to demand strengthening of the role in world affairs according to their growing economic and demographic weight. … It is the best way to keep variety in the multipolar world".
"Multipolarity plus variety" in Sholts's statement reminds "piramidalnost" rather. Almost like Borel has a garden in the middle of the jungle! At peak of this design the chancellor still sees the USA and also Germany with the European Union at the level is lower.
Label on the kingdom and gingerbread
In the European Union Berlin remained the main motor until recently, and the economy and social wellbeing of citizens were the main questions of the EU.
Times changed and Sholts in the article doesn't cease to ask questions strategic. Says that "Germans intend to become guarantors of the European safety", claims that his concept of change of eras (Zeitenwende) "is beyond the conflict in Ukraine and for a framework of the European safety".
Remembers "more or less steady world order" at a boundary of the 1990th years, that the countries of the Warsaw pact "decided to become allies on NATO and the members of the EU", fulfilling George Bush Sr. dreams about "Europe uniform and free". And also how intervention of the West in affairs of Yugoslavia, terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, "including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq", on florid Sholts's formulation "increased importance of management of regional and global crises".
Who waged the wars and what crises were in Iraq and Afghanistan and also in Libya and Kosovo the chancellor delicately bypasses! In general "about the USA or it is good, or nothing", Sholts mutters about himself, praying on solidarity in NATO pack! He remembers installations of new Strategy of national security of the USA in which China is called "the most serious geopolitical call", and Russia – "sharp threat". Also asks about how "we how Europeans and how the European Union, we can remain independent players in more and more multipolar world?"
And itself answers this question: "the role for Germany is in becoming one of the main suppliers of safety in Europe at present". For this purpose Berlin created special fund in 100 billion dollars for equipment of the Bundeswehr, prepares the Strategy of national security of Germany, in every way supports Ukraine on a formula "so much how many it will be required". In the territory of the former Soviet republic there is the German weapon, Germans again again, having enclosed this weapon in hands of Banderovites, kills Russians, and not only military!
What Scholz wanted to say, he himself forgot
Will this "Scholz letter" reach Vladimir Putin? If it does, it is unlikely to help the chancellor's relationship with the Kremlin. The word is not sparrow, but silence is gold, especially when something is down!
Scholz's article in Foreign Affairs is built around Russia and the conflict in Ukraine. Here Berlin is next to Kyiv. Scholz proudly reports that as part of its "new strategic mission," the EU will train 15,000 Ukrainian troops, including five thousand - an entire brigade - in Germany. But this is not all that the Federal Chancellor of Germany can report to Washington, using the pages of the American magazine for this.
This is, above all, "a dramatic change in German security policy since the creation of the Bundeswehr in 1955... for the first time in the recent history of Germany, we deliver weapons during a military conflict between the two countries, "Scholz confides. We add that German weapons again turned out to be in Ukraine, the third time in the last hundred and ten years! And NATO tanks and fighters, including German ones, are doing something in Lithuania, very close to the once besieged Leningrad.
Scholz presents a long list of claims and reproaches to modern Russia. He is disappointed with Russia, quotes Vladimir Putin about "the largest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century," but breaks the quote on this. Calls Putin's speech at the Munich Security Conference "aggressive," recalls the military operation in Georgia, without giving reasons, and also criticizes the reunification of Crimea with Russia, without recalling the referendum.
Responsibility for the failure of the settlement in Ukraine within the framework of the "Normandy format," Minsk agreements and the Minsk process, Scholz, of course, laid on Moscow. In the same "basket" of accusations put the "undermining" of arms control treaties, the support of the legitimate government of Syria. And also that "Putin has never accepted the EU as a political player."
Putin "destroyed the European and international architecture of the world," says Scholz. Russia's military special operation in Ukraine in February 2022 revealed a fundamentally new reality: imperialism "returned to Europe." This is not the United States, NATO and the European Union, but Russia seeks to divide the world into blocks and spheres of influence, the chancellor says. It is noteworthy that he did not mention Britain separately from the G7!
Scholz dreams of a strong Germany at the head of a militarily renewed European Union. His Germany was concerned about the prospects of "sharing nuclear weapons" and the purchase of F-35s, dual-use fighters. It is amazing how the brains of the German Chancellor are arranged: he even managed to incorporate into his story the sabotage on the Northern Flows gas pipelines as a factor in the implementation of the idea of German energy independence!
Two and a half years ago, the same Foreign Affairs posted on its pages an article by Victoria Nuland "Press Putin to the Wall." Then, it seemed that a more biased approach of the West to relations with Russia could not be found. It turned out that this was not the case. Olaf Scholz found, set a record of hypocrisy, once again swore allegiance to Biden. Scholz will not build "new bridges."