And this statement about his vision of Germany in defending the West makes that failure to defend the West clear:
Foreign policy is rooted in values and interests. It's not always easy to harmonize the two. But following World War II, Germany saw itself as a peaceful power. We have done our best to ensure that there is a long-term effort in international politics to secure peace. I would like to continue that focus.
Despite seeing itself as a peaceful power, during the Cold War the West Germans probably had the best armored force in NATO. (Heck, the East Germans probably had the best armored forces in the Soviet world, albeit on the side of attacking freedom.)
But Germany has done precious little to "secure" peace since the West won the Cold War.
Let me apply the clue bat to the German foreign minister:
I keep reading that the Germans hate their militaristic past so much that they don't want to fight.
Let's try applying the clue bat to Germany's collective skull on this issue.
Conquering and setting up death camps under the shield of a powerful military? That's bad. By all means, don't do that.
Having a military capable of fighting death cult enemies or stopping the Russians from moving west? Well, that's a good thing. Try doing that.
The interviewer asked if a refusal to act abroad is a continuation of the old German habit of letting allies fight while contributing only the money.
I wish.
Germany doesn't fight in defense of the West and because they don't spend money on defense, would be hard pressed to defend NATO inside Europe let alone contribute to the broader defense of the West abroad.
