'BERLIN LETS ITS ALLIES GO IT ALONE'
In Der Spiegel, on Friday:
BERLIN LETS ITS ALLIES GO IT ALONE
By Severin Weiland and Roland Nelles
The US, France and Britain are prepared to use military force to stop Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. But their ally Germany isn’t supporting them. Instead, it abstained from the Security Council vote on a no-fly zone over the country.
Despite Libya’s cease-fire declaration on Friday, Berlin’s reluctance could damage the country’s international standing. When it came down to the crunch, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle decided that Germany should side with China and Russia. Together, the three members of the United Nations Security Council abstained from Thursday’s vote on a resolution to impose a no-fly zone on Libya. It is a curious political development, to say the least.
The trio makes for strange bedfellows. There is Germany, a democracy which puts great store in the rule of law and human rights, siding with a communist, one-party dictatorship and a country with a dubious track record on political freedoms. On the other side are Germany’s traditional allies — the United States, France and Britain — not to mention parts of the Arab and African world. Lebanon had been one of the countries presenting the resolution, which was backed by the Arab League. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have already said they would take part in a military operation, according to UN diplomats.
And despite the Libyan regime’s move on Friday afternoon to declare a cease-fire — at least for now — and inviting international observers into the country, Berlin’s move could have lasting repercussions. Although Berlin has not blocked military action by abstaining, the German government has marginalized itself. It is effectively telling its allies: You will have to deal with this one alone — we’re not going to help you.
The German position, which had been agreed between Merkel and Westerwelle, had been clear for days. As a concession to its allies, Berlin will now beef up its mission in Afghanistan. There is talk of Germany taking part in AWACS surveillance flights over the country, which would take pressure off Germany’s allies and free up their aircraft for operations over Libya. But is it enough?
Lack of Solidarity
Some politicians within Merkel’s center-right coalition are already warning that Germany could be drifting even further away from France, Britain and the US. Attitudes toward Germany will change as a result of the vote, says Ruprecht Polenz, a member of parliament for Merkel’s conservatives who heads up the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
“I don’t think we’ve heard the last word on this,” he said, pointing out that the European Union had already announced its support for the resolution. Germany will also participate in a discussion about the resolution within the EU and NATO, Polenz said.
It’s clear that Westerwelle enjoys playing the role of Germany’s pacifist-in-chief. Speaking in his office in Berlin on Friday morning, he justified his skepticism about a military intervention yet again. The German government sees “significant dangers and risks,” he said, meaning that it could not support the whole resolution.
Westerwelle has been striking exactly that tone for weeks now. At first, his stance earned him praise, even from the opposition. But now, given the risk that Libyan rebels could be massacred by Gadhafi’s troops if they do not receive military help, Westerwelle’s position seems oddly out of touch with reality.
Merkel and Westerwelle apparently hope that the German “nein” will go down well with the electorate. That may well be the case. But within NATO, Berlin’s abstention is likely to be perceived as showing a lack of solidarity with Germany’s allies.
Indeed, it seems as if the Merkel-Westerwelle duo have become trapped by their own position.
A Firm ‘No’
When the insurgency against Gadhafi broke out, Westerwelle promptly stated his support for the repressed opposition. Earlier, he had initially been cautious before making any pronouncements about Tunisia and Egypt, but in the case of Libya, he quickly called out Gadhafi as a dictator, and argued in favor of EU-level sanctions against the regime in Tripoli.
But when Gadhafi proved hard to topple, and his troops began a counter-offensive, retaking one city after another, Westerwelle didn’t prove any more flexible in his stance. Over time, his skepticism about a no-fly zone grew into a firm “no.” And as Britain and France lobbied for military action, a resurgent Gadhafi praised Germany’s position. That fact alone should have been deeply embarrassing for Berlin.
By then, at the very latest, Westerwelle and Merkel ought to have shifted their positions. Besides, by that point, the Arab states had already said that they would actively participate in a no-fly zone — one of the main pre-conditions Westerwelle himself had stipulated for any UN mandate.
Looking for Domestic Gains
Nevertheless, Merkel and Westerwelle stuck to their positions. In recent days, Westerwelle even intensified the tenor of his rhetoric — but his target was not Gadhafi but, indirectly, London and Paris. Washington, for its part, had long remained undecided. Speaking on Friday morning, Westerwelle also reiterated a statement he has oft repeated in recent days: “German soldiers will not participate in a military mission in Libya.”
It’s exactly the kind of sentence that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) might have used. During the last Iraq war, he adopted early on the position that Germany would not participate — right in the middle of a national election campaign in 2002.
Westerwelle surely had similar considerations on his mind. After all, there is considerable skepticism regarding overseas military operations among the German population, and particularly amid the members of the upper-middle class that tend to vote for his business-friendly Free Democratic Party.
At the beginning of the year, Westerwelle’s position as FDP leader looked shaky amid internal opposition. But he managed to stabilize his situation after the FDP’s decent performance in elections in the city-state of Hamburg. Now the FDP faces elections this weekend in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. A week later, pivotal votes will take place in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany that could have implications for Merkel’s and Westerwelle’s coalition government.
Now Westerwelle is taking his cue from Schröder — and he clearly thinks this is a recipe for domestic political success. But Schröder was better positioned in 2002, and he also had the French on his side within the UN Security Council. This time around, though, France opposes Westerwelle’s position, and that is a very crucial difference. The Berlin-Paris axis, which is also very important for the EU, has been damaged by the split.
Opposition Divided over Germany’s Course
Germany now faces a heated domestic political debate over the government’s course: Even the opposition parties are divided in their views of Thursday’s abstention.
Until now, it has always been standard practice for Germany to support the most common position possible in the international community when it comes to crises, Rolf Mützenich, the foreign policy spokesman for the SPD, told the German news agency DPA. “That’s why it was a mistake that Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle categorically ruled out the threat of a no-fly zone. By doing so, he unnecessarily tied our hands and our ability to negotiate.”
SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel and Green Party co-floor leader Jürgen Trittin, on the other hand, initially supported the government’s position. “I can understand the skepticism, and for that reason the abstention was the right move,” Gabriel said on Friday. Military action against Gadhafi, he warned, also held the danger of escalating the situation.
Anyone who goes into a country also needs to know when the intervention can come to an end, he added, noting that Germany’s experience in Afghanistan had showed how difficult that can be to determine.
Trittin described the tighter sanctions imposed in the UN resolution as overdue. “We need to really shut off Gadhafi’s oil tap,” he said. Still, the Greens remain skeptical about a military intervention, he said.
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Here’s the link:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,751804,00.html
One to watch:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12800149
An excellently written article. If only we had media similar to Der Spiegel.
The media in Malta is partly to blame for Malta’s inaction because at no point did it put any pressure on the government to act and speak decisively.
Instead we get pusillanimously written articles reporting faithfully what the Prime Minister says without ever questioning it, Gaddafi supporters voicing their opinions on the timesofmalta.com discussion boards and endless debates about divorce.
We do. Our Der Spiegel is DCG.
“The media il partly to blame for Malta’s inaction”
Prosit! Ma stajtx ghedtha ahjar. Ghandna media tal-habba gozz. L-ewwel li nipponta subghajja lejhom huma Kurt Sansone & Co tal-gazzetti Striklandjani. Dawk skrapan mhux gurnalisti.
Ghalhekk blogs bhal ta’ Daphnei bzonnjuzi.
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20110320/API/1103200573&ParentProfile=1055
NATO’s top decision-making body approved late Sunday a military plan to implement the U.N. arms embargo on Libya, but failed to agree on a plan for the alliance to enforce the no-fly zone over this north African country.
Diplomats said Turkey’s opposition to any NATO intervention in Libya stalled the approval of plans to launch aerial patrols over Libya to prevent the government air force from attacking civilian targets, which were drawn up by NATO’s military staff.
Both actions will require a separate “execute directive” by the North Atlantic Council, which requires the consensus of all 28 alliance members. Diplomats said this could be issued on Tuesday at the earliest.
NATO members France, Britain and the United States have been carrying out strikes on Libyan targets since Saturday. But they have acted as individual nations rather than members of the alliance.
Reminds me of the rallying that goes on in election campaigns – “If you don’t vote, you’ll be voting for the other party”. I see no difference here – whoever is not active in the no-fly zone coalition is supporting the Gaddafi regime.
I guess we’ve lost our “For Gallantry” spirit.
Mmmm….we could replace it with, For Sale or For Fence Sitting, perhaps For Sitting on the Wrong side of History.
El -Jezira reports:
“Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier, has diverted flights from Trapani airport in Sicily starting Monday to make way for military operations over Libya. The airport at the foot of the Italian peninsula doubles as a military base. It is about 560km from the westernmost point of Libya.
The move was the first reported direct impact from the Libyan conflict on airline operations outside the country.”
Read this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/matthewd_ancona/8392856/Cameron-rescues-a-principle-from-the-shambles-of-Iraq.html
Thank you for your stand, Daphne. The PM and the Foreign Minister have completely misjudged the depth of feeling of the 80s generation about Gaddafi. This slimeball turned “Libya” into a dirty word as his socialist bedfellows did to “Malta” in their heyday.
The same people who made our lives miserable in those days collaborated with Gaddafi in his oppression of his unfortunate subjects and supported Gaddafi when he was exporting terrorism on a gorgeous scale: the Achille Lauro, support of the IRA, Lockerbie et al.
Thanks to their collaboration, they turned Malta into this bastard’s personal fief. That a PN government did not disengage our country from that tyrant’s clutches is egregious. That they are now behaving with contemptible pusillanimity is completely beyond the pale.
Let me emphasise, as a specialist in a related field, that the outcome of these events cannot be predicted. The issues are too complex. It remains a fact, however, that there is a moral obligation to do as much as possible to rescue the Libyans from the bloated spider that has engorged itself on their blood and tears for so many years.
I, a staunch supporter of the PN, am completely disgusted and utterly livid at the policies adopted by Lawrence Gonzi and Tonio Borg. What I feel about John Dalli and others espousing the same feelings is unprintable. They don’t speak in my name. You are the only person in Malta who has articulated my feelings to perfection. For shame on the whole yellow bunch of them.
It may come of interest to your readers to learn that the verdict of ancient and early modern historians on Maltese men has never varied – viz that they are obsessed with making money and of doubtful martial spirit. There is perhaps no better explanation for the cowardice of the Maltese government in this affair.
But it does not speak in my name.
Hemm differenza kbira bejn il-LE tal-Germanja u l-LE ta Malta.
Il-Germanja waslet ghal din il-LE bi principju (tista ma taqbilx mieghu).
Malta ghazlet il-LE ghax gifa (kodarda) imma gidbet (ippuzat) li newtrali.
Inzid ohra: il-LE tal-Germanja, fil-prattika qed isarraf f’kontribut militari hafna ikbar mill-IVA ta’ certi pajjizi (e.g. il-Portugall).
Der Spiegel, literally translated “The Mirror”, is a magazine, which, more or less, can be regarded as a snob, if not the snob, amongst German print media. It can therefore be no surprise that not all Germans enjoy reading Der Spiegel, let alone buy it.
Nonetheless, in the context of the present issue, the important point in the article referred to by Daphne, is in my opinion the chapter “Looking for Domestic Gains”.
At the moment, with imminent statal elections of paramount federal importance, Angela Merkel’s and Guido Westerwelle’s respective parties are not faring well at all. Merkel’s CDU has suffered a devastating defeat in Hamburg. Only yesterday, Sunday, 20 March 2010, Westerwelle’s Free Democrats were ousted from participating in Sachsen-Anhalt’s new parliament. This coming weekend, one will vote for a new parliament in the state of Baden-Württemberg, as yet a Christian Democrat stronghold, where, however, according to pre-election polls, there exists a strong possibility that a red-green coalition might take-over. Furthermore, there will be elections in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, which at the moment is governed by a social-democrat-liberal coalition. Prognosis indicates also here the possibility of a red-green take-over.
One should therefore strive to understand Merkel’s and Westerwelle’s political plight without necessarily agreeing to/with the actions implemented by the incumbent German federal government.
Last but not least, one should consider the possibility, if not the probability, of a subconscious post-war trauma psychology/mentality, which, for the native German population, has indeed been aggravated by German experience in Afghanistan.
What do you mean by “Der Spiegel, literally translated “The Mirror”, is a magazine, which, more or less, can be regarded as a snob, if not the snob, amongst German print media. It can therefore be no surprise that not all Germans enjoy reading Der Spiegel, let alone buy it”.
Does this mean that it is a quality newspaper?
[Daphne – Yes. The nearest equivalent in Britain would, I suppose, be The Spectator.]
@ A.Charles
For intellectuals, as well as for pseudo-intellectuals, in Germany, Der Spiegel is a quality, informative, and I dare say (sometimes) influential, weekly magazine.
You may wish to educate yourself futher by having a look at following site:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/
Thanks, Daphne.
@Leo Said
For me a magazine which is considered snob is something on the lines of “Lady”. Please, I do not need you to tell me to educate myself as the question I asked was on the use of “snob” to describe a journal. You must be living away from Malta, and trying to belittle the locals makes you sound very pompous.
@ A.Charles
I appreciate that you have a right, without reservations, to your own opinion in the same way that I have a right to express my thoughts and my opinion.
Yes, I reside in Germany and hence I should at least be accustomed with the various wave-lengths of thought in contemporary Germany, some of which thoughts tend to classify Der Spiegel as a “snob” magazine. I regret that I am not in a position to compare and contrast Der Spiegel with your Lady.
I did not belittle anyone in any way. I also strive to educate myself constantly and continually, every day, in various ways, which include reading the comments offered on this site by A.Charles. In other words, there was no need for your good self to feel offended because I used the word “educate”. Had I written “inform” instead of “educate”, you might have also been offended.
Ergo, please accept my apology, although I cannot perceive any offence in my remarks, which I offered in correct and proper English.
ERRATA CORRIGE
Please note: in above remark, it should be 20 March 2011 and not 20 March 2010.
Merci.
Time will soon show that Germany’s position is the most far-sighted. The schoolboys ruling Britain today, and the model-chasing president in Paris will soon see what mess they’ve gotten us into just so that they can achieve short-term internal political goals. Not so much of a wonder that even Ruby-loving Berlusconi is happy to be among the “coalition”. Nice gang leading Europe today.
Us, Albert? I thought we were neutral.
” … will soon see what mess they’ve gotten us”
They haven’t got us into anything. We opted out remember?
We don’t even count as a minuscule little detail, and serves us right.
“Got us”, tajba din. What do you expect them to do? Let Gaddafi do what he like because Maltese leaders don’t have the stomach to do what’s right?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110320/local/former-presidents-discuss-libya-divorce
So it had to be retired President Eddie Fenech Adami and MEP Simon Busuttil to sound the voice of reason as other politicians were mired in the grand divorce debate; poor things, they are not that good at multitasking.
It is all a question of perception; other countries’ perception of Malta is now based on the fumbling, stuttering interviews given by the PM and Foreign Minister on Aljazeera and Sky News.
We do not need squadrons of Eurofighters or Tornados sitting on our runways but one or two AWACS or tanker aircraft based om MIA would have restored Malta to its proper place on the “La Stampa” map.
http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=213112
Gulf Arabs defend involvement in Libya, slam Iran
By REUTERS
03/21/2011 09:56
ABU DHABI – Gulf Arab states reject Iranian and other foreign interference in their internal affairs and said Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were taking part in Libyan military operations for “safety and security”.
“We reject any intervention in our internal affairs and among these countries is Iran,” Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Abdulrahman al-Attiyah told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Abu Dhabi, responding to questions about Saudi and UAE troops helping the government in Bahrain.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368264/Libya-MI6-puts-gun-Gaddafis-generals-heads-warn-defect-die.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
MI6 puts gun to generals’ heads: Our spies phone Gaddafi’s men direct to warn: Defect or die
By MICHAEL SEAMARK and TIM SHIPMAN
Last updated at 7:46 AM on 21st March 2011
Defect or die: MI6 have issued military commanders a stark warning – telling them remaining loyal to Colonel Gaddafi could be fatal.
British intelligence is warning Colonel Gaddafi’s generals that it could be fatal to remain loyal to the Libyan leader.
MI6 spies and military officials are contacting commanders in Tripoli trying to persuade them to defect, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Their message is blunt: ‘General, we’ve got the GPS co-ordinates of your command post. They are programmed into a Storm Shadow missile. What do you want to do?’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368264/Libya-MI6-puts-gun-Gaddafis-generals-heads-warn-defect-die.html#ixzz1HDl4ahHl
Do they have the OPM’s telephone number?
Office of the Prime Minister,
Auberge de Castille,
Valletta VLT 2000.
Tel: 2200 1400
Fax: 2200 1467
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.opm.gov.mt
And perhaps their GPS coordinates? They need someone to put a Storm Shadow up their arse. This snail’s pace kitchen-table politics is killing me.
Try Google maps.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2011/03/the_netherlands_waits_for_nato.php
Monday 21 March 2011
(…).
On Friday, the Netherlands said it was willing to get involved if asked.
(…)
The cabinet is prepared to look very seriously at any request for help, Rutte said. ‘It can all happen very quickly,’ the paper quoted him as saying. ‘But it is pointless to show your muscles now and say ‘this is what the Netherlands can deliver’.’
The Dutch minesweeper HMS Haarlem is in the Mediterranean Sea at the moment on normal exercises, the paper said.
A poll by Maurice de Hond at the weekend shows 55% of the Dutch think the Netherlands should be involved in the bombing of Libya while 35% are opposed.
I was actually a bit perplexed with Germany’s decision. I though Merkel had balls. I might excuse Westerwelle for not having any … but Merkel?
Of courage, determination and solidarity – an extract from an Al Jazeera blog:-
Where are you from?
I’m from Germany.
What are your personal experiences with dictatorships?
Five killed family members during German fascist regime. Two little children of my grandma’s sister starved in a Soviet Gulag. I lived 20 years in East Germany. And I was one of the protesters 1989, full of age and by my own will. No Western agents, no Nescafe, no drugs.
What are your personal experiences with war?
Five killed family members in WWII and a 1-2m layer of human bones under the main streets of my hometown is all I need to know.
Why do you care about Libya?
I do because I want ALL people to live in democracy. East Germany was related to Libya and a big supplier of military equipment. I have a photo of Erich Honecker and Muhammar Al-Gaddafi kissing each other on the lips.
What do you want for Libya?
I want democracy and free elections. The Libyan people should decide by themselves who their government should be.
What do you think about the NFZ?
I back the No Fly Zone, because the people of the freedom movement and their interim government have asked for it. It is necessary to stop the soldiers of a psychopath killing the own people.
Does “America just fight for oil?
I don’t think so. The Americans have liberated my hometown from the Nazis.
They haven’t stolen any oil from my family or my government.
Instead they gave us food and medical relief and made me not to wear a brown uniform and being able to marry a Slavic woman.
If a poor American knocks my door I will give him all the oil I have.