German tanks against Russia? The US wants to send Germany into the fire

The discussion about the delivery of "Leopard" battle tanks to the Ukraine is picking up speed in Germany. Proponents of such supplies sincerely hope for Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia. You think little, what effect the deployment of German tanks in Russia will have. Because German history hardly plays a role in this debate.

You don't have to be a prophet, to gauge public reactions to the use of German tanks against Russia. Even if Ukraine will paint over the iron cross on the German battle tanks, these weapons stand for the many Russians, the relatives in extermination- and colonial war of the Wehrmacht, for a renewed German campaign against their country. Kurz: Who is committed to it, that German tanks will be delivered, it will reap an enormous mobilization of Russian society for the war against Ukraine.
Unaffected by such considerations, there is now a whole phalanx from the FDP to the Greens to the Union, which is committed without ifs and buts to the speedy delivery of "Leopard" tanks. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock even tried to visit the front in Kharkiv, to lend emphasis to the demand for it. Only the chancellor himself and the SPD still seem hesitant.

The editorial staff of the Berliner Zeitung stands for debate and a culture of debate. This is a guest post by Die Linke MP Sevim Dagdelen. The opinion of the author does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors.

The discussion about the delivery of "Leopard" battle tanks to the Ukraine is picking up speed in Germany. Proponents of such supplies sincerely hope for Ukraine's victory in the war against Russia. You think little, what effect the deployment of German tanks in Russia will have. Because German history hardly plays a role in this debate.

You don't have to be a prophet, to gauge public reactions to the use of German tanks against Russia. Even if Ukraine will paint over the iron cross on the German battle tanks, these weapons stand for the many Russians, the relatives in extermination- and colonial war of the Wehrmacht, for a renewed German campaign against their country. Kurz: Who is committed to it, that German tanks will be delivered, it will reap an enormous mobilization of Russian society for the war against Ukraine.

Unaffected by such considerations, there is now a whole phalanx from the FDP to the Greens to the Union, which is committed without ifs and buts to the speedy delivery of "Leopard" tanks. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock even tried to visit the front in Kharkiv, to lend emphasis to the demand for it. Only the chancellor himself and the SPD still seem hesitant.

However, the SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich already emphasized, that the decision to deliver is open, and declared on 12. January: "There are no red lines." FDP frontwoman Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann even suggested, to start training Ukrainian soldiers even before the "Leopard" is delivered, well knowing, that the scientific service of the Bundestag saw a possible entry of Germany in the war in the combination of arms deliveries and training.
Other NATO countries are putting pressure on the federal government. Britain announces delivery of British heavy tanks, Poland wants to sell its own "Leopard".. Germany should be forced to do this, also deliver "Leopard".. Polish President Andrzej Duda even declared, that “a decision has already been made in Poland”. Of course he knows, that Berlin alone decides on further export. Obviously that's what it's about, Passing the buck to Germany. Berlin is to be sent into the fire, to finally destroy German-Russian relations and turn them into an open war for their own benefit.
However, Olaf Scholz wants to prevent it, that Germany comes first in the crosshairs of Russia, and hides behind “our transatlantic partner”, the United States. Only shared with the United States, according to the US newspaper Politico, wäre er bereit, zu handeln. Voraussetzung dafür ist demnach, dass auch die USA schwere Panzer an die Ukraine liefern. Zudem wird ins Spiel gebracht, keine eigenen Kampfpanzer zu liefern, aber die Reexportgenehmigung für andere Nato-Staaten zu erteilen.
Aber auch dieser Trick wird Berlin nicht aus der Schusslinie bringen. Vor der nächsten Waffenstellerkonferenz, die am 20. January 2023 auf Einladung der USA auf deutschem Boden in Ramstein stattfindet, ist sich der ukrainische Außenminister Dmytro Kuleba bereits sicher, dass Berlin liefern wird. „Selbst wenn Deutschland gewisse rationale Argumente hat, es nicht zu tun, wird Deutschland es zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt tun“, beschreibt er die zu erwartende Dynamik.
So zeigt sich in dieser Debatte die gefährliche Einschränkung der Souveränität Deutschlands. Ultimately, the federal government cannot decide independently on the delivery of German tanks. After all, that would entail the greatest security threat to the German population since World War II. However, the USA has enough influence in the governments of the other NATO countries, in order to achieve the result they want. This also applies to Germany.
But why is it in Washington's interest?, to send the Germans into fire against Russia of all people? Why do people in Washington DC favor a "European solution" with the decision-making center in Berlin so much? The argument, one needs its military capacities against China, is similar to the maintenance problem not very credible. no, Germany is supposed to attract the return fire from Russia, it seems so. You can't help but get the impression, as if a possible counterattack should hit Berlin first and foremost. The USA had thus achieved one of its long-term strategic goals: Prevent cooperation between Germany and Russia forever.
The Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz once put it: “The political intent is the purpose, war is the means, and the means can never be thought of without the end.” The tank deliveries of today are the war credits of 1914. They lead directly to participation in the war. They cannot be thought without purpose: This is the victory in NATO's proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. Dann muss aber auch eine russische Gegenreaktion bedacht werden. Am Ende beschwören nämlich die westlichen Panzer den Einsatz von Atomwaffen – zuerst gegen Deutschland – regelrecht herauf. Dies scheint der tiefere Grund, warum man sich in Washington beim Thema Panzerlieferungen so zurückhält, den Verbündeten aber wie einen Vasallen zur Aufopferung zwingt.
In diesem Ansinnen der USA zeigt sich ein neues strategisches Moment im Umgang mit Russland und China. Im Rahmen einer neuen Konfrontationspolitik gegen den eurasischen Block sollen Deutschland und Japan für die USA Frontstaaten mit eingeschränkter Souveränität werden. Die Hofreiters, Baerbocks und Strack-Zimmermanns agieren dabei, as if they primarily wanted to serve the interests of US corporations and the US as a whole.

If the Marx theorem holds, the human being is in its reality "the ensemble of social conditions", then those are, who are now demanding the way to war with more and more and heavier weapons, regardless of the losses, Expression of an almost apocalyptic mood in our society, which no longer believes in real social progress and is carried away by a destructive oligarchization in business and politics with mass impoverishment at the same time.
But who is really interested in defending democracy in Germany, he must not leave the stage to the speaking puppets of a bored bourgeoisie, just out of fear, to be ostracized as the enemy's henchman. That's how it was in World War I and it mustn't be like that again. Everything has to be done, to thwart the warmongers here.
But the German tanks will be delivered, so the way is open for more weapons. Bundeswehr professor Carlo Masala and former NATO supreme commander James Stavridis have already brought up demands for combat aircraft. Then follow rockets and finally, if that doesn't work either, own soldiers. But with a player mentality, who reacts to a loss by increasing the stake and then plays vabanque at the end, all or nothing, every society is badly advised. A fresh start is needed in German foreign policy.

But the German tanks will be delivered, so the way is open for more weapons. Bundeswehr professor Carlo Masala and former NATO supreme commander James Stavridis have already brought up demands for combat aircraft. Then follow rockets and finally, if that doesn't work either, own soldiers. But with a player mentality, who reacts to a loss by increasing the stake and then plays vabanque at the end, all or nothing, every society is badly advised. A fresh start is needed in German foreign policy.
Refusal must come first, continue to escalate, second, confident democratic sovereignty, which no longer makes Germany the henchman of the USA, and thirdly, finally, a separate diplomatic initiative, aimed at an immediate ceasefire and an immediate end to the senseless killings in Ukraine.

Who keeps excluding, to freeze the war, meet their Argument, first the full territorial integrity of Ukraine had to be restored, he can have no real interest in a gun ban. On the contrary, an unscrupulous attitude is revealed here, who bet on it, to wage a NATO proxy war against Russia with the lives of the Ukrainians. As it was part of an upside down world, to claim, the war credits in World War I led to peace, this applies today to the delivery of German battle tanks.
The argument for the tank deliveries is bitter, that there is a world champion double standard in the federal government. First, it becomes untenable under international law, derived from Ukraine's right of defense an obligation under international law for arms deliveries. Counterfactually, this is how Ukraine is treated, as if it were already a member of NATO, as if there were a military duty of assistance, which is expressed solely in massive arms exports.
At the same time, arms deliveries to countries attacked in violation of international law are subject to double standards: The federal government is avoiding an assessment of the wars of aggression by the USA in Iraq and Turkey under international law. With this trick she eludes the question, why not to all states, who are attacked, German weapons were or will be delivered, for example to Iraq or Syria. In doing so, however, it loses all credibility under international law for arms deliveries in the Ukraine war.
A large majority of the countries of the world, who neither supply arms nor take part in the economic war against Russia, is shown in this way, that it is beyond all moral considerations, which are used to legitimize foreign policy action, apparently all that matters is unscrupulous power politics. In the end, tank deliveries and Germany's approaching entry into the war resulted in an erosion of the credibility of German foreign policy, especially in the Global South. One more reason, to make a turn here.

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