The Ukraine War prompted Germany, which had historically been reluctant to engage in military action and focused instead on building a strong economy and promoting peace through diplomacy and international cooperation, to rethink becoming a military superpower again.
With Russia's takeover of Crimea in 2014, and despite former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's insistence on continuing a fruitless "dialogue" with Putin rather than standing up to him, German military planners began to contemplate the sudden possibility of a major land war in Europe that could It requires German soldiers to defend European lands.
With the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, these fears intensified to the point that prompted the new German government to quickly announce plans for the largest jump in German military spending since World War II, by pumping a huge investment of $ 100 billion into developing the army. Germany and restore its military equipment to the normal level.
In a related development, an extensive report published by the American newspaper The New York Times examined the debate over whether Germany should play a greater military role on the world stage. At the same time, he noted, Germany has historically been reluctant to engage in military operations, focusing instead on building a strong economy and promoting peace through diplomacy and international cooperation. But recent world events and changes in the political landscape have led to a reassessment of this position.
Weak and worn out army
The beginning of the Ukrainian war revealed the many problems that the German army suffers from, especially the sharp weakness in equipment after many years of neglect, especially from old equipment that works poorly, which makes it unable to perform its duties before NATO except in a very limited scope. This has raised questions about maintaining supplies of weapons being sent to Ukraine to support it in its war with Russia.
Over the past years, successive US administrations have tried, and often failed, to persuade the Germans and other European allies to bolster their militaries and achieve NATO's defense spending target of 2% of GDP, a goal Germany has long pursued.
Although nearly a year has passed since Chancellor Schulz announced unprecedented plans to shape a turning point for the German army and its place in the world, we hardly see any of the €100 billion in additional funding pledged by the German chancellor making its way into the armed forces, which was among The most prominent reasons that led to the resignation of former German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht a few days ago.
"a hard way"
A recent New York Times article discusses the prospect of Germany becoming a military superpower again. He points out that Germany's strong economy and high-tech industry can be used to build a strong army, and that there is growing support for this idea among the German public and political leaders. However, he also noted that there are many challenges that must be overcome before embarking on this task.
The article highlighted that there is a historical legacy related to World War II, which makes the idea of a strong German military force controversial. It also indicates that the German military currently lacks the resources and capabilities to be an effective global force, and that significant investment and modernization will be required.
In addition, the article notes that other European countries might resist the idea of a strong German army, as this could disrupt the balance of power in the region. While the idea of Germany once again becoming a military superpower is gaining momentum, it is a complex and controversial issue that will require great effort and cooperation to achieve.
The legacy of the past hinders the mission
Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, skepticism about the merits of military force had enabled a long post-Cold War process of disarmament in Germany. Now, German leaders pledge to transform the country into a military power capable of taking responsibility for Europe's security. But German society, in which the country's Nazi past looms large, remains undecided.
Nor did the fact that German soldiers were repeatedly implicated in high-profile cases of right-wing extremism helped ease this alarm. While in recent years cases of extremism have prevailed in particular among the commandos of the German army's special forces, Germany woke up last December to the impact of a massive and wide security operation targeting members of the "Reich Citizens" movement who were planning a violent coup to overthrow power and rebuild the "German Reich". ".
In addition to the transformation of the Nazi legacy into one of the sticks that cause the German army to stop or slow down the modernization process, the Russians use this issue in their continuous propaganda since the Cold War, which indicates the existence of German plans to return the country to the Nazi era.
In terms of the political decision, a report published by the Politico newspaper indicated that there are strong echoes between Schultz, who was seen in the 1980s as a leftist within the Social Democratic Party, steadfast refusal to take a more assertive stance towards Russia on Ukraine and his youthful enthusiasm for socialism, which he shared with the East German communists. Severe anti-Americanism.
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