{"id":253720,"date":"2022-05-20T07:29:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T07:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=253720"},"modified":"2022-05-21T07:32:27","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T07:32:27","slug":"whats-the-deal-with-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=253720","title":{"rendered":"What’s the Deal with Germany?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Whitney \u2013 The Unz Review May 18, 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Why is Germany sending weapons to Ukraine? Don\u2019t they realize these weapons will be used to kill Russian soldiers? Don\u2019t they realize these weapons will be given to Nazi combatants who tattoo swastikas on their arms and march in torchlight parades? Don\u2019t the German people care about that?<\/p>\n

In World War 2, the German Wehrmacht killed 27 million Russians. Isn\u2019t that enough? How many Russians have to die to satisfy Germany\u2019s bloodlust? Another million or so? 5 million? 27 million? How many?<\/p>\n

And, how does a country with Germany\u2019s history justify the killing of more Russians today? Alot of people would like an answer to that question? I know I would.<\/p>\n

Chancellor Olaf Scholz thinks that Germany has a moral obligation to back Ukraine in its war against Russia. In a televised speech to the nation he said, \u201cWe defend law and liberty on the side of the party under attack. We support Ukraine in its battle against the aggressor.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Scholz failed to mention were the numerous (Ukrainian) provocations that took place prior to the Russian invasion. He failed to mention Kiev\u2019s stepped-up bombardment of east Ukraine where 14,000 ethnic Russians have been killed in the last eight years. He failed to mention the 30-or-so Ukrainian bio-weapons labs where lethal pathogens \u2013that target specific ethnicities and spread highly-contagious diseases around the world\u2013 are being secretly developed. He failed to mention that President Zelensky had threatened to rebuild Ukraine\u2019s nuclear weapons program which would put nuclear missiles on Russia\u2019s western border. And he failed to mention that Ukraine had become a defacto member of NATO via its joint-military drills, logistical support, training and arms shipments from the Alliance<\/strong>. All of these have created a grave threat to Russia\u2019s national security. But Scholz failed to mention any of them. Instead, he used the entire presentation to whip up support for another US-led bloodbath.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear,\u201d Scholz said emphatically. \u201cSo, we have decided to deliver arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scholz is simply acknowledging what everyone already knows, that he got his marching orders from Washington, and he is complying with those orders. That much is obvious. Here\u2019s how the World Socialist Web Site summed it up in a recent article:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe historic decision to let German tanks roll against Russia once again is not driven by \u201csecurity and peace\u201d and least of all the protection of the Ukrainian population. Instead, Germany and the other NATO powers have systematically provoked Russia\u2019s reactionary invasion to allow them to wage a proxy war against Russia<\/strong> on the backs of the Ukrainian population\u2026.<\/p>\n

In the months leading up to the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian government, with massive support from the US and Germany, has been preparing to bring the areas held by pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country under its military control. A war against Russia in Crimea was also planned\u2026. All restrictions imposed on Germany after the world war are to be removed, and the Bundeswehr will be rebuilt into the largest European army\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The German government has already delivered tanks from former East German stockpiles to Ukraine and announced further heavy arms deliveries. These include anti-aircraft tanks and self-propelled howitzers that are capable of enormous destruction. Germany and NATO are ready to lay waste to Ukraine in order to defeat Russia\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

With its heavy weaponry, Germany is equipping the Azov Battalion and other neo-Nazi units. These groups are the political descendants of Bandera\u2019s Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which was responsible for the murder of thousands of Ukrainian Jews.\u201d<\/strong> (\u201cOn anniversary of defeat of Nazi regime, German Chancellor Scholz delivers war speech\u201d,<\/a> World Socialist Web Site<\/em>)<\/p>\n

How did we get here? How did we reach a point where no one is concerned about the reemergence of German militarism?<\/p>\n

It can all be traced back to Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev.<\/p>\n

In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gorbachev lifted his objections to German reunification and \u201cagreed that a unified Germany will be free to choose which alliance it will belong to, and Chancellor Helmut Kohl told Gorbachev that Germany wanted to stay in NATO.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Got that? Gorbachev gave Germany the green light to join NATO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can you see what a terrible mistake that was? Can you see that German reunification and the entry of Germany into a hostile, Russophobic military alliance (NATO) paved the way for the current conflagration?<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s entry into NATO was followed by three waves of expansion that pushed the Alliance further and further eastward until today, NATO\u2019s combat troops, military bases and missile systems are on Russia\u2019s doorstep just a few hundred miles from Moscow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And NATO\u2019s eastward push will not stop at Ukraine either, any more than Hitler or Napolean stopped at Ukraine. Ukraine is just the last whistlestop on the way to Moscow. That\u2019s the real strategic endpoint; Moscow<\/strong>. So, eventually, NATO will push deeper and deeper into Russian territory destroying everything in its path and killing anyone who gets in its way. That\u2019s where all this is headed, in fact, the Pentagon warlords don\u2019t even try to hide it anymore. \u201cWe want weaken Russia,\u201d they say. \u201cWe want to break Russia\u2019s back\u201d. And, that is the plan. They want to crush Russia and seize its resources. Nothing is concealed. All of this is being stated publicly.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all Gorbachev\u2019s fault. The crisis Russia faces today, can be traced back to Gorbachev.<\/p>\n

What was he thinking? Was he thinking that NATO would honor its word and not \u201cmove one inch east\u201d like they promised? Was he thinking Germany would not eventually \u2018get back on its feet\u2019 and resume its habitual march eastward? Was he thinking that leaders in the west had miraculously changed their spots and become more trustworthy, unselfish and peaceful?<\/p>\n

What a stupid, stupid man. Gorbachev\u2019s breezy liberalism has brought NATO\u2019s weapons systems and NATO\u2019s shock troops to Russia\u2019s doorstep. He has cleared the path for another agonizing and bloody conflict that will plunge the entire region into chaos and ruin. Is it any wonder why western leaders sing Gorbachev\u2019s praises at every opportunity? Check out this excerpt from an article at RT:<\/p>\n

\u201cLarge-scale NATO military drills started in Estonia on Monday. The exercise dubbed \u2018Hedgehog 2022\u2019 is one of the largest in the Baltic nation\u2019s history, according to the military bloc.<\/strong> The drills will involve some 15,000 troops from 14 nations, including both military bloc members and their partners.<\/p>\n

Soldiers from Finland, Sweden, Georgia and Ukraine are among those that will take part in the exercise\u2026 The drills will include all branches of the armed forces and will involve air, sea and land exercises, as well as cyber warfare training, according to the broadcaster. According to a NATO statement, the drills will also see the US Navy Wasp-class landing ship \u2018Kearsarge\u2019 take part in the exercises\u2026.<\/p>\n

The drills started just a day after Finland and Sweden officially announced their plans to join NATO..<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The exercises in Estonia are, however, just one part of NATO\u2019s large-scale military activities near the Russian border. <\/strong>Another Baltic state, Lithuania, is hosting the \u2018Iron Wolf\u2019 exercise, which involves 3,000 NATO troops and 1,000 pieces of military equipment, including Germany\u2019s Leopard 2 tanks.<\/p>\n

Two of NATO\u2019s biggest exercises \u2013 \u2018Defender Europe\u2019 and \u2018Swift Response\u2019 \u2013 are taking place in Poland and eight other countries, involving 18,000 troops from 20 nations, <\/strong>according to NATO\u2019s statement on Friday\u2026.<\/p>\n

The NATO Response Force is currently taking part in the 7,500-strong \u2018Wettiner Heide\u2019 drills in Germany. The Mediterranean Sea is about to witness \u2018Neptune series\u2019 naval drills involving the USS \u2018Harry S. Truman\u2019 carrier strike group that will be placed under NATO command.<\/strong> This will only be the second time since the end of the Cold War that a US carrier group has been transferred under the military bloc\u2019s command, NATO has said.<\/p>\n

In June, the Baltic States and Poland will host what NATO describes as \u201cEurope\u2019s largest integrated air and missile defense exercise,\u201d which would involve 23 nations.<\/strong> In late April, Finland hosted NATO naval drills. Now, it is also hosting a joint land exercise, in which troops from the US, the UK, Estonia and Latvia are participating.<\/p>\n

The massive military wargames are taking place amid heightened tensions between Russia, NATO and some of the military bloc\u2019s partners.<\/strong> Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, and Sweden decided to reconsider their long-standing policy of non-alignment following a major change in public opinion after the launch of Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine.\u201d (\u201cNATO starts drills near Russian border\u201d<\/a>, RT<\/em>)<\/p>\n

What will it take for the American people to see what\u2019s going on right before their eyes?<\/p>\n

NATO and the US are simulating a war on Russia because that\u2019s the plan. These are massive, integrated, combined-arms exercises that are structured in a way that best addresses the strengths of a particular\u200b enemy. And that enemy is Russia.<\/strong> Can\u2019t you see that?<\/p>\n

And have you noticed how it\u2019s suddenly okay to talk openly about war with Russia? Among the cadres of retired generals that appear regularly on the cable news channels and their chest-thumping allies in the Democrat party, all sense of caution has been completely abandoned.<\/strong> They\u2019re no longer deterred by the threat of nuclear war because\u2013 according to them\u2013 the US will prevail in a nuclear war and, besides, they all agree that it is worth the risk. Maybe you think I\u2019m kidding, but I\u2019m not kidding. The prevailing view among establishment elites has fundamentally changed. These people want a war with Russia and they want it now. Their lust for war has completely eclipsed their fear of nuclear annihilation.<\/strong> It\u2019s madness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And Germany has joined the rush-to-war despite the fact that it will trigger an unprecedented energy crisis followed by a severe economic slump that could last for years. In short, Scholz has committed economic hari-kari to placate his masters in Washington. Here\u2019s more from the WSWS:<\/p>\n

\u201cGermany is using the war to remove all obstacles that previously stood in the way of unrestrained rearmament<\/strong>\u2026 First, the German government increased the arms budget by \u20ac100 billion\u2026 and abandoned the principle of not supplying weapons to war zones. Ukraine was first supplied with light and then with heavy weapons. In the meantime, Ukrainian soldiers are also being trained on German soil.<\/strong>..<\/p>\n

The German government\u2019s preparations for a Third World War are not limited to arming the Bundeswehr<\/strong> (Armed Forces) and providing military support to Ukraine\u2026. The former editor-in-chief of finance daily Handelsblatt, Gabor Steingart, speaks bluntly about this in his \u201cPioneer Briefing\u201d on Tuesday. Without the slightest qualms, he discusses the question of what is required to make a world war \u201cmanageable\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe waging of a Third World War is not just a military issue,<\/strong>\u201d he proclaims. It is \u201cfirst and foremost an economic issue. For without economic disentanglement along the power and military blocs, effective warfare that can be sustained over a longer period is impossible, as we can already see from Germany\u2019s dependence on Russian natural gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever wants to make world warfare manageable must first unbundle world trade,<\/strong>\u201d Steingart emphasises. \u201cEconomic independence is more important than billions more for the Bundeswehr. So, it is not only the soldiers and their military equipment that must be gathered into an offensive formation, but also economic resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cViewed with this economic eye,\u201d he then states, \u201cthe preparations for making a Third World War manageable are in full swing.\u201d..<\/strong><\/p>\n

The insane policy of preparing a third world war and making it \u201cmanageable\u201d is supported by all parties represented in the Bundestag\u2026 Germany must \u201curgently define its national interests against the background of the new reality\u201d and \u201cadopt a national show of strength to implement and safeguard them,\u201d it says. \u201cTo meet this challenge, comprehensive military capabilities are needed, which will also entail many a sacrifice and burden.\u201d (\u201cGermany\u2019s preparations for a third world war in full swing<\/a>\u201c, World Socialist Web Site<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Do you still think the idea of a Third World War is far-fetched?<\/p>\n

Of course, not. The preparations are already underway. The elites want war because they see no other way to preserve the western-centric world order<\/strong>. That is why the threat of German militarism has been ignored by the media and foreign heads-of-state. Because they now think that German militarism can be used to defend America\u2019s global primacy<\/strong>. And that\u2019s what they want.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a bit more background from an interview with Norman Finkelstein<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Russians were promised that there would be no NATO expansion to the East, that was the quid pro quo for the reunification of Germany<\/strong> after the decomposition of the Soviet Union. The Russians were promised that but the West went ahead. We\u2019re talking about the 1990s: the promises were given, but the West then went ahead and started to expand NATO<\/strong> \u2026. there was the first tranche, then the second tranche \u2026 Then NATO starts expanding in Georgia and in the Ukraine (which crosses) a red line.<\/p>\n

To stop this, (Russia) offers a perfectly reasonable resolution: just neutralize Ukraine like we neutralized Austria after World War II, neither aligned with an Eastern bloc nor aligned with a Western bloc<\/strong>. That seemed to me perfectly reasonable\u2026<\/p>\n

And then the reasonableness of those demands,\u2026 have to always be seen in context. So, what\u2019s the context? The context is the Soviet Union, the former Russia, it lost\u2026 the estimates are about 30 million people during World War II\u2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And now there\u2019s this Ukraine, where Nazis are playing an outsized role. (and they), are aligned with a formidable military bloc called NATO (and) NATO keeps advancing and advancing and advancing, closing in on Russia, trying to suffocate it\u2026 And beginning around 2016, under Trump, begins to arm the Ukraine, pouring in weapons, engaging in military exercises with NATO, behaving very provocatively. And then the Foreign Minister Lavrov finally says we\u2019ve reached the boiling point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2026 (So, for) more than 20 years\u2026 Russia has tried to engage in diplomacy;<\/strong> (to make Ukraine neutral) like Austria after World War 2\u2026 (So) if you agree that was a legitimate demand, and if you agree that the West was expanding and expanding NATO, and if you agree that Ukraine had de facto become a member of NATO, with weapons pouring in and engaging in military exercises with NATO; and if you agree\u2026 that Russia lost 30 million people during World War II because of the Nazi invasion,\u2026, then the simple question is: What was Russia to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2026 I\u2019m not a general and I\u2019m not a diplomat, so I\u2019m not going\u2026. so, I\u2019m not going to say it was the wisest thing to do\u2026. But I will say \u2026 that they had the right to do it\u2026.They had \u2026. the historic right to do it. 30 million people (killed during WW2), and now you\u2019re starting again, now you\u2019re starting again? No, no,\u2026 I can\u2019t go for those who acknowledge the legitimacy of the arguments made by Putin but then call the invasion criminal. I don\u2019t see that.\u201d<\/strong> (\u201cNorman Finkelstein : Russia has the historical right to invade Ukraine<\/a>\u201c; Listen to the whole interview, The Saker<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Yes, Putin has every right to protect his country from another foreign invasion. And, he\u2019d be foolish to think that that\u2019s not what Washington has in mind, because that\u2019s precisely what they have in mind. What Washington really wants is a subjugated Russia languishing permanently beneath Uncle Sam\u2019s bootheel. <\/strong><\/p>\n

So, Putin must do everything in his power to prevent that from happening. And, so far, he\u2019s done just that.<\/p>\n

Bravo, Vladimir.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WWIII is a priority for the elite and they are now well on their way to making it a reality. Mike Whitney explains<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-253720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-russia"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=253720"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253821,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253720\/revisions\/253821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=253720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=253720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=253720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}