1. AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION
NEWSLETTER
dubowdigest@optonline.net
AMERICAN EDITION
July 29, 2011
Dear Friends:
Sorry this is so late. However, with a trip to Seattle & Los Angeles, friends visiting
from Germany, the spending of some time in the Berkshires, and the terribly hot
weather (too hot to write) I just didn’t get around to it. I hope you didn’t suffer the
information void too terribly.
When I last left you the twin problems of the Gaza flotilla and the impending
declaration of statehood by the Palestinians were our major concerns. Well, problem
No.1 was mostly taken care of by the Greek Government but No. 2 is very much
still with us. September will be a “hot” month with the UN meeting, the Palestinians
pushing to isolate Israel and, to make things worse, the Durban III Conference, a UN
get-together with the seeming single purpose of condemning Israel taking place.
Germany’s vote at the UN on Palestinian statehood and whether or not it will
participate in Durban III are key questions.
However, the Germans aren’t much interested in the Middle East these days. In the
last few weeks they have been thinking more about the economic situation in the
Euro Zone and how many more “poor relatives” such as Greece they will have to
rescue. The French and the Germans have organized a bailout so for the moment
the situation has quieted. It is reported that VW, Deutsche Telekom and Lufthansa
(to name a few) are showing increased profits and it looks as if their economy is in a
helluva better condition than ours. They’re thinking profits and we’re thinking debt
ceilings.
Oh well!
The summer doldrums may be upon us – but so are the issues. On to the news…
IN THIS EDITION
THE PALESTINIANS & GERMANY – Will Germany play a critical role in the
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2. upcoming Palestinian attempt to gain UN acceptance of statehood?
THE BOOKS RETURN – Those that Hitler didn’t burn.
THE CHANCELLOR ANNOUNCES - She’s in it to win it.
MORE GERMAN POLITICS – An update and a look ahead.
THE TANKS – 200 to Saudi Arabia – Opposition to war has its limits.
NEO-NAZIS: NORWAY & GERMANY – The Oslo murders and the German neo-
Nazis.
NEO-NAZIS IN EASTERN GERMANY – Only a presence or a threat?
A PHILOSOPHICAL LOOK AT GERMANY – What sort of a power is Germany?
THE PALESTINIANS & GERMANY
I don’t have to tell you that a battle is shaping up in the UN as to whether Palestine
will be accepted as a full member. In order for that to happen it must be accepted by
the Security Council. That’s not happening as the U.S. has promised a veto.
However, Pres. Obama, trying to keep his bona fides with the Islamic countries
intact, would love not to have to cast a veto. He’s pushing for a return to the
bargaining table. Victory in the General Assembly, where there is no veto, is assured
to Palestinian Pres. Abbas (He’s got the votes). The battleground for legitimacy is
with the European countries. Euro unity is an important part of EU’s raison d’etre so
a lot of politicking is going on.
Needless, to say, Germany’s position is key. Chancellor Merkel has stated many
times that face to face negotiations, not an independent declaration is the proper
course for the Palestinians. It is the general expectation that she will stick to her
guns and veto any Security Council measure granting full UN recognized statehood
to Palestine. What happens in the General Assembly may be another story.
The opening salvos in the Security Council were fired earlier this week. Haaretz
carrying a Reuters story reported, “Israeli and Palestinian envoys squared off on
Tuesday over plans to seek UN recognition of a state of Palestine in September,
which Israel rejected as an attempt to bypass direct peace talks.
Speaking at a regular meeting of the UN Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour said seeking UN recognition would not
hurt the peace process and would instead strengthen efforts to achieve a negotiated
"two-state solution."
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3. "The consecration of the two-state solution in bold resolutions -- including
recognition of the state of Palestine…on the basis of the pre-1967 borders and its
admission as a full member of the organization -- will help to make the two-state
solution more inevitable," he said.
Mansour did not spell out what exactly his delegation plans to propose during the
annual gathering of world leaders in September at the opening of a new session of
the 193-nation UN General Assembly.
Western diplomats say the Palestinians have not yet decided whether to seek
membership in the UN as a sovereign state or press for a non-binding resolution
recognizing a Palestinian state without UN membership.
The United States, like its ally Israel, opposes the idea of full Palestinian
membership in the UN at the moment and has made clear it would use
Washington's veto power on the Security Council to block it.
With the veto of the U.S. in the Security Council assured, it seems to me that the
battle will pass to the General Assembly. It’s not that the Palestinians can lose there
– they’ll win, but the real question is what sort of resolution will pass and who will
vote for it. If it’s mostly Arab, Islamic and Third World countries it will carry little
weight. However, if the European countries back it, it will put more pressure on Israel
and isolate her more than she already is.
There has been some talk that if Palestinian statehood is approved Israel would use
that as an excuse to walk away from the Oslo Agreements. Whether Israel would
formally kill the face to face talks is not really a question. The U.S. and Germany
(among others) would demand that the Oslo Accords remain on the table.
So, diplomacy continues (or doesn’t) with next battle ground at the UN right here in
NYC. Stay tuned.
THE BOOKS RETURN
Hitler and his cohorts did not burn all the books in the 1930’s. In fact as German
Jews were forced to leave Germany they took whatever books they could carry with
them. Now, 75 years or so later some of these volumes are making their way back –
many being put into the hands of German school children.
In a Spiegel On-Line story by Helen Whittle she wrote, “German Jews who fled Nazi
persecution to what is now Israel took as many books as they could carry. But their
descendants, many of whom don't speak German, are left with cratefuls of
heirlooms they can't read. Now the Goethe Institute has started a project that sends
the well-traveled books back to Germany as teaching materials for students.
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4. (There is) a new project making German-Jewish history and the history of Israel
more tangible for German schoolchildren learning about the Holocaust. This project
represents… the extension of a living chain of history for future generations.
The birthplace of the new program, German cultural organization the Goethe
Institute…The director of the institute's Jerusalem branch, Simone Lenz, said that in
recent years she has been inundated with … descendants of German-Jewish
immigrants seeking a dignified place to donate their inherited German literature.
Unable to accept such donations because of a lack of suitable capacity, Lenz
hatched the idea to send the books back to Germany, giving students the
opportunity to hold an authentic piece of German-Jewish history in their hands
calling the pilot project "Keine leichte Pakete" ("No Lightweight Packages").
A small group of high schools in the Münster region are now taking part in hands-on
history lessons with the books, such as Kloetzel's beloved 1890 edition of Goethe's
poetry. Steven Förster, a teacher at the Christian-Dietrich-Grabbe high school in
Detmold said that his students have so far responded positively. "Personally
envisioning individual fates seems to be a much more tangible approach than
anonymous lists of victims," he told SPIEGEL ONLINE.
The novels, children's books, cookbooks and travel guides containing numerous
scribblings, annotations and dedications to family members seem to hold a special
historical resonance for the young people. Student Charlotte Szymanowski said the
project helped her gain a fuller understanding of the human costs of the Nazi era.
Eyal Winter, who along with his father acquired German citizenship in the 1970s, is
now a professor of economics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where his
father studied German literature. He and his family approached the book project with
great enthusiasm, but he feels deep regret that his father, who died in 2007, was no
longer alive to experience it.
"For me it is a closing of the circle," he said. "The children in Germany who are now
receiving these books are around the same age that my father was when he was
forced to flee. Here we are keeping history alive and present and not simply
sweeping it under the carpet."
There is more to this heart warming story. What better way to learn history than to
have in your own hands a book that has a history of its own.
Click here to read all of it.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,774728,00.html
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5. THE CHANCELLOR ANNOUNCES
If you had any doubts that Chancellor Merkel might give way to some other
candidate in the 2013 national election because her poll numbers have been so low
as of late - fuggedaboutit! She’s running!
The Local.de reported, "I have high hopes that the Social Democrats will find me an
adversary before the next election," the 56-year-old conservative Christian
Democrat leader, who has been in her job since 2005 and was re-elected in October
2009, told the Sat.1 television channel.
Merkel said she was not concerned that opinion polls placed her behind potential
Social Democrat candidates. "When campaigning comes round, I will put myself into
it with enthusiasm," she said.
Two polls last month found German elites were disappointed with Merkel and the
performance of her centre-right government.
But the chancellor's former rival during the 2009 race expressed confidence that
German voters were ready for a change.
In an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, who is now parliamentary group leader for the opposition Social
Democrats, stirred up speculation on who might emerge as the SPD candidate.
"Two years after parliamentary elections in 2009, it seems there's no question the
public finds more interesting than which Social Democrat will become chancellor,"
he said.
A survey by broadcaster ARD put both Steinmeier and former finance minister Peer
Steinbrück ahead of Merkel in the polls.
The Chancellor is a piece of work. Here she is with low poll numbers challenging the
Social Democrats to find someone who could give her some real competition. Others
in her place would already be thinking about “spending more time with my family”.
Not her. With two years to go she is already in full campaign mode.
MORE GERMAN POLITICS
Normally, in order for a German government to gain a majority in the Bundestag
there must be some sort of coalition of parties. At present, Chancellor Merkel’s CDU
is in coalition with the Free Democrats (FDP). Though the next election is two years
away, the FDP seems to be losing popularity at an alarming rate. If it remains where
it is, or drops further, no matter how well the CDU does they will not be able to gain
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6. a majority. No partner, no majority.
Some months ago, the FDP reorganized itself and appointed a new Party Chairman
Philipp Rosler. It didn’t help. The Local.de reports, “Philipp Rösler's leadership of the
pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) has failed to lift the party's fortunes, with
a new poll showing support sinking back to a record low of 3 percent.
The Stern and RTL poll shows Rösler’s leadership has so far barely made a dent in
Germany’s tepid feelings toward the party.
The party achieved great success in the 2009 federal elections, achieving 14.8
percent of the vote under Guido Westerwelle. But Westerwelle was forced from his
leadership position in May after Germans’ support waned.
He has become one of the most unpopular politicians in Germany, with only 28
percent of voters saying he’s doing his job well, according to the poll.
In contrast, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) improved
one point over last week to 33 percent while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) also
gained a point to 25 percent.
In one bright piece of news for the party, Rösler, who is also Economy Minister, has
won praise for his plan to shore up faltering Greece by promoting more investment.
The respected Cologne Institute for Economic Research lauded the plan as a ''win-
win'' for Germany and Greece.
So, what happens in 2013 if the CDU does well and the FDP doesn’t make the 5%
necessary to remain in the Bundestag and their majority is kaput? If the Social
Democrats (SDP) and the Greens can gain a majority then they take over the
government. However, if they cannot get 50% plus one, then in all likelihood the two
big parties, the CDU and the SPD can join together in a “Grand Coalition”. They
have been in this position previously and actually did quite well. By the way, in this
situation the party with the most Bundestag seats gets the Chancellor’s position and
the lesser party gets control of the Foreign Ministry. Merkel for a third term? Could
be?
However, we’ve still got two years to go but trying to gainsay the results is almost as
much fun as trying to figure out who will win the Super Bowl even before the football
season begins.
We’ll stay on top of it for you.
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7. THE TANKS
Not everything the Chancellor or the government does shows great political aplomb.
For instance, DW-World.de reported a few weeks ago, “A security source in Saudi
Arabia said Monday that the oil-rich Gulf state (Saudi Arabia) would be buying 200
state-of-the-art Leopard tanks from Germany in a deal that has caused a political
row in Germany.
"So far, Saudi has bought 44 tanks from Germany and in total wants to buy 200
tanks from Germany," a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
the Reuters news agency.
The source declined to give a value for the purchase, saying it was a multi-billion
euro deal involving the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and
Rheinmetall.
The purchase follows a $93 billion stimulus package from Saudi King Abdullah that
included extra support for police and security forces. The March handout was a
response to unrest sweeping through the Arab world.
"Selling 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia is far from ethical foreign policy," she
said in front of the Bundestag on Monday. "The country is in the middle of a regional
powder keg. You shouldn't be giving out matches there."
Nahles added that the deal exposed the German government's support of the
democracy movements in the region as nothing but "hypocrisy" - and that the
legitimacy of Berlin's foreign policy had been injured.
To add some fuel to the fires, Spiegel On-Line reported, “The opposition in Berlin
was already outraged about a plan to sell 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia. Now, however,
a new deal involving the training of Saudi border patrol officers is raising additional
questions. And some say the German constitution may have been violated.
The deal involves a mountain of money: The German deal to sell Saudi Arabia 200
"Leopard" battle tanks is worth some €2 billion. Chancellor Angela Merkel's
government has yet to directly confirm the deal -- and the opposition is furious .
Given the pro-democracy movements in the region, it has demanded that Germany
cease making arms deals with authoritarian regimes such as that in power in Saudi
Arabia.”
I think you get the idea. The government isn’t saying anything very much about
either deal except that they are under consideration and will be transparent when
made. To again quote one my favorite phrases, “The business of Business is
business” In this case it is German industry and the stakes are very high.
Last, but certainly not least, the question of Germany’s moral standing has been
brought into question. The Local.de notes, “More than six decades after World War
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8. II, Germany has quietly become a major weapons exporter, with its sales growing to
about 10 percent globally. That puts it behind only the United States and Russia,
according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which
studies the weapons trade.”
Incidentally, the question of whether the tanks might someday be used against Israel
has not been raised. Some see Israel and Saudi Arabia as unofficial joint partners
opposing Iran. Perhaps that’s the reason.
We’ll try to keep an eye on the two deals in question. Stay tuned!
NEO-NAZIS: NORWAY & GERMANY
The horrific events in Norway have had implications for the extreme right in
Germany. The mass murder by Anders Behring Breivik has sent the neo-Nazi
leadership scurrying for cover so as not to be associated with the Norwegian killer.
D-W World.de reported, “Manfred Rouhs, chairman of the German far-right party,
the Pro Germany Citizens Movement, … refuted the notion that there were
similarities between European right-wing parties and Breivik's ideology.
"Conservatives are for preservation, for adherence to certain rules, and Christians
are driven by their love for their fellow human beings," Rouhs told Deutsche Welle.
"The message of destruction and hate that Anders Breivik has brought into the world
has nothing to do with Christian or conservative values."
Nevertheless, commentators have questioned whether the attack is a sign that
extreme-right wing ideology is taking hold in Europe. "One thing we have seen over
the past two decades across Europe has been rising support for far-right political
parties," said Matthew Goodwin, an expert on far-right politics at the University of
Nottingham.
In 2010, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party won its first seats in
parliament, and the Freedom Party in the Netherlands became the third-largest
party in the country.
Matthew Goodwin warned that among the growing support network for far-right
parties is a minority of extremists who are likely to share Breivik's ideology.
"Within this movement, this very broad subculture, I think it's fair to say that there
are inevitably within each country a handful of would-be Breiviks, guys who are
prepared to undertake violence," Goodwin said.
I assume that Breivik’s attorneys will seek an insanity plea – and maybe the guy is
crazy. It’s probably reassuring to most of us if he’s considered insane. Then he’s not
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9. like the rest of us – Thank God! However, I’m holding off on any judgment until the
psychiatrists can talk to him and come up with some sort of a diagnosis. It’s just too
easy to say that someone who kills a lot of people is insane. Unhappily, we know
from the Holocaust that perfectly normal people when subjected to a radical
philosophy can act on it violently while maintaining themselves as totally rational in
all other aspects of their lives. Certainly, Breivik came under the influence of such an
extreme philosophy so, in my book, he could be normal but not normal. Get it?
No matter what, the Breivik affair is horrendous. Hopefully, there are no more like
him around. However, the radical philosophy (right and left) is and that does not
auger well for peace, security and civility.
The next item (below) should worry us all.
NEO-NAZIS IN EASTERN GERMANY
Through the good offices of my friend Ruth Bloch in LA I was made aware that a
new report of neo-Nazis in Eastern Germany had just been published. A scan of the
Internet revealed a good article about it that appeared in Die Welt. It noted,
“According to excerpts of a new report obtained by Die Welt, which will be officially
presented in Berlin on Friday(Ed. Note: Already released), acts of violence --
attempted murder, bodily harm, arson, disturbance of the peace -- perpetrated by
right-wing extremists have shot up in the eastern part of Germany.
Overall, the number of right-wing extremists has fallen and presently stands at
25,000. However, the number of neo-Nazis who would be prone to violence has
increased by 600 to 5,600. Among militant neo-Nazis is a group called the
‘’Autonomous Nationalists,’’ which has 1000 members. They function as mirror
opposites of left-wing autonomists; right down to copying the latter’s way of dressing
in black hoodies, black baseball caps and sunglasses.
According to the report, both sides regularly engage in street fights. In 2010, right-
wingers injured 232 left-wingers, while the latter caused injury to 308 right-wingers.
Anti-Semitism is the link that binds all the various right-wing extremist groups. The
report mentions 1,166 criminal offences due to underlying ‘’extremism or anti-
Semitism.’’ In addition to acts of violence, the report says, there were 16,375,
politically motivated criminal acts in 2010 by right-wing extremists of which 11,384
involved displaying swastikas or giving the Nazi salute.
It’s the last paragraph that specifically caught my attention. The fact that the report
states that, “Anti-Semitism is the link that binds all the various right-wing extremist
groups” is very depressing. However, it is not unexpected. Perhaps we can take
some solace in the fact that there are something like 82,000,000 people in Germany
and “only” 25,000 who are right wing extremists. Incidentally, the report was issued
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10. by the Saxony’s Special Commission on Right-Wing Extremism. There are various
governmental and non-government groups watching this kind of activity and that is
all to the good.
A PHILOSOPHICAL LOOK AT GERMANY
The first journalist I met when I started working in Berlin (1997) was Malte Lehming
of Der Tagesspeigel, a Berlin daily. He eventually went on to become the
Washington correspondent for the paper and then returned to Berlin to be the Chief
Editor of its Opinion Section. Malte knows a lot about the U.S. and, of course
Germany. When I accompany groups to Germany I try to get the participants to meet
him. He’s always worthwhile to listen to and to talk with.
Malte recently wrote a piece in his paper which was translated into English and
printed in TheLocal.de entitled, Germany’s Humble Strength. In it he posits,
“Compared to the United States – a strong but often unscrupulous country –
Germany in the past was long seen as weak but overly moralistic. America waged
war around the world, toppled dictators, made billions of dollars worth of tax cuts,
while Germany appealed to the world’s only superpower to protect the climate and
give terrorists a fair trial.
But now that relationship has changed. The United States has become weaker, but
is still fairly ruthless. Germany is stronger, but still extremely prone to high-minded
moralizing – even while considering the sale of hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia.
Can this new balance hold?
Germany's position has also shifted within Europe. There's an unspoken but clearly
discernible belief in Germany politics now: "We're a major player, and we're good!"
Strong and evil – that was Germany's image in its dark past. Weak and good – that
is the Germany the world has known for the past 40 years. But strong and good –
that is the new Germany that many neighbors and allies still have to get used to.
Power and moral superiority – that can be an extremely annoying combination.
That's why it might not be a bad twist of fate that the country is currently being led by
unpretentious, almost completely anemic politicians. President Christian Wulff,
Bundestag speaker Norbert Lammert and Chancellor Angela Merkel: no-one could
seriously accuse any of these people of arrogance and finger-wagging.
What could be seen as a flaw – weak leadership – has become, from a global
perspective, an advantage. Because one thing we know: the teacher’s pet may be
forgiven many things – except being a braggart. The stronger and more moralistic
Germans feel, the more humble they should present themselves on the international
stage.
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11. There is no question that Malte uses strong language in this article when referring to
the U.S. (If the translation is correct) However, I do think it is the kind of language
that many Germans (and many Europeans) use among themselves when they think
and talk about the U.S. However, I don’t believe Malte is a U.S. hater. Anyone who
gets up at 3:00 or 4:00 am to watch the Super Bowl can’t be all that anti-American.
The point of my excerpting from this article has nothing to do with the U.S. It is the
analysis of Germany’s place in the world and what its role should be that is
important.
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See you in August.
DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be contacted by
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