Kategorie: international politics

Where does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany?

(I sent this essay to some of the authors quoted by Dohnanyi in his book “Nationale Interessen” (National Interests).

The following thoughts are the result of reading two books by a very clever, well-informed and experienced German politician, the former mayor of Hamburg and later Federal Minister of Education and Science Klaus von Dohnanyi, who, despite his immense reading, despite a generally remarkably balanced judgment, nevertheless found a late political home with the “Alliance Sarah Wagenknecht” (BSW) – a party that, being more than just US-critical, treats Putin and his regime with kid gloves. How can a clever man go so astray?

Where does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany? weiterlesen

Wohin will Klaus von Dohnanyi Deutschland führen?

(Ich habe den Aufsatz an einige jener Autoren versandt, die von Dohnanyi in seinem Buch „Nationale Interessen“ zitiert)

Die folgenden Gedanken sind das Ergebnis der Lektüre zweier Bücher eines sehr klugen, hervorragend informierten und erfahrenen deutschen Politikers, des ehemaligen Hamburger Bürgermeisters und späteren Bundesminister für Bildung und Wissenschaft Klaus von Dohnanyi, der trotz immenser Belesenheit, trotz eines fast immer bemerkenswert ausgewogenen Urteils gleichwohl beim Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW) eine späte politische Heimat fand – einer Partei, die mehr als nur US-kritisch ist, während sie Putin und sein Regime mit Samthandschuhen behandelt. Wie kann sich ein kluger Mann derart verirren?

Wohin will Klaus von Dohnanyi Deutschland führen? weiterlesen

Can we still be saved?

Confronted with such a question, the critical reader will think of several counter-questions. Who is meant by „we“? From “what” are we meant to be saved? And “who” dares to ask such a curious question? Can we still be saved? weiterlesen

Brotherly Love the Russian way – Struggling for the New World Order

The Russian president recently let the world know that the Ukrainians are a nation of brothers, but that they have been subjected to Western brainwashing which turned them into Nazis. Apparently, he assumes that the largest and most powerful among the brothers, the Russians, are legitimized to impose their law on the smaller and weaker ones, that is, to bring them under the Russian heel. Brotherly Love the Russian way – Struggling for the New World Order weiterlesen

Putin’s vision for Ukraine and for Europe

So now we can finally be sure: The Russian knout is in the window. For Putin, not only Ukraine is a failed state, but he and Xi Jinping already prophetically foresee the end of the free Western world. The territorially largest nuclear power offers a political alternative that can draw on a long imperial tradition – from the tsars to Stalin to Vladimir Putin himself. The Russian president offers us an imposed Gleichschaltung, safely backed by the police, the military, the state security service, and the systematic suppression of all opposition. Putin’s vision for Ukraine and for Europe weiterlesen

Difficult truth – cheap lies

In times of the Internet, historical memory shrinks. Who remembers today that for almost half a century the United States of America represented the realm of enlightenment, truth and progress, while the other side of the Iron Curtain was ruled by arbitrariness, gulags and politically decreed lies? This contrast was inflated by mutual propaganda, certainly, but forced labor camps and those millions of people Stalin had sent to their deaths were bitter reality. There was so little doubt concerning this gruesome past that Solzhenitsyn’s accusations were read worldwide, that is even in Russia. When Gorbachev finally dared to say the truth, the collapse of the regime was inevitable.

Difficult truth – cheap lies weiterlesen

Is Democracy still alive?

We are used to measuring this form of government above all by the degree of freedom that a government grants its citizens. Viewed from this perspective, the picture is as bright as it is gloomy. No one prevents me from expressing even the most absurd opinions. I may even call publicly for the overthrow of the government, provided that this is done without insulting specific individuals and without denouncing the democratic constitution as such. Is Democracy still alive? weiterlesen

The hand on the trigger: How an American president wantonly prepares the next war

The great world powers slipped into World War I without really wanting it. But they had been arming themselves for years, so all that was needed was but a spark – such as the assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne – to detonate a powder keg filled to the rim. The hand on the trigger: How an American president wantonly prepares the next war weiterlesen

Apocalypse – When?

Military competition is certainly no invention of our time, nor is war. We saw that comparatively simple but revolutionary technical innovations such as the use of horses, stirrups and combat bows were able to wreak havoc in the hands of nomads. Apocalypse – When? weiterlesen

The Curse of Globalization

I am living in Puch near Weiz, a small village in Styria. Some tourists who spend their holidays here will describe the place as dreamy, although local people are by no means idle dreamers, but hard-working men and women. The Curse of Globalization weiterlesen

Trump, Putin, Xi – what is it that makes them so similar to each other?

How companies work and what conditions must be met for their proper operation, seems pretty clear. Manufacturing enterprises rely on an infrastructure that allows a constant and reliable supply of energy and raw materials (or primary products). Furthermore they usually require a state-run educational system, which provides the company with the necessary „human material“. Trump, Putin, Xi – what is it that makes them so similar to each other? weiterlesen