Germany can't seem to work up the confidence to get off the French leash on defense issues.
I find this shocking. Who knew Germany had a military to administer:
Germany's post-Cold War military became a joke. Germany had a brief spasm of defense resolve in 2022. But it got over that. Yeah. Clue bat, where are you? Biden should name Trump as his Special Envoy on German Defense Spending.
It is frustrating. During the Cold War Germany had potent military power. Setting aside the issue of East Germany's military, West Germany was stalwart in defense of NATO:
Before the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, West Germany (the Russians still occupied East Germany until 1990) was the largest, best equipped and formidable military force in NATO. In 1989 the West German military had half a million active-duty troops. Five years later a united Germany had a force of 250,000 and the reductions continued until 2014, when there were only 179,000 troops.
But since the Cold War, it has been "Don't mention the war!"
German caution on Ukraine arms rooted in political culture[.]
Keep in mind that "political culture" means lingering World War II guilt/fiscally convenient post-Cold War aversion to defense spending.
It is a morally backwards position for Germany to take. If Germany has truly learned lessons from its awful World War II record, it would eagerly help Ukraine defeat Russia:
Eighty years ago, Nazi Germany was itself fighting a war of terror on this very same Ukrainian soil: the same cities, towns and villages were its victims as are now Russia’s, and sometimes even the same people. ...
The lesson to learn from that history is not that German tanks should never be used against Russia, whatever the Kremlin does, but that they should be used to protect Ukrainians, who were among the greatest victims of both Hitler and Stalin.
Exactly. The clue bat is still desperately needed:
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.
As Germany's rapid cycle of pacifism, resolve, and second thoughts shows, Germany hobbles its role in Europe:
Scholz´s February speech was welcomed in Europe, but without a shift in German strategy, Germany´s influence in Europe will continue to decline. Germany´s strategic culture remains risk-averse, preferring compromise to confrontation. Mobilizing society to confront Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, or any other number of troublemakers is not something German leaders care to do.
And that's where France comes in.
France and Germany are working to overcome strains in their European Union relationship over differences on supporting Ukraine. Germany can't break away from its desire to dilute its past within the EU ratification of the morality of Germany's military. Its brief spasm of defense resolve after Russia invaded Ukraine has faded.
Germany has required constant pressure from its allies to do more to help Ukraine and to contribute to NATO common defense. So Germany turns to France again to "de-Nazify" German military power.
Which seems to have had an effect. On aid, anyway. We'll see if Germany will expand its military.
And we'll see if Germany can free itself from the French leash to defend Europe as a free member of the West and not as a barely housebroken rescue dog that must be restrained.
Macron has an incentive to encourage this German attitude of self-loathing and hope for redemption from Germany's history through the EU and France, of course. So who knows how this will work out.
NOTE: Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
