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Weasel Watch: Germany’s dangerous game
: The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sums up Germany’s mischievous behavior:
: “Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer broke a year-long U.S.-Israeli boycott on visiting Yasser Arafat, a move widely seen as a direct challenge to U.S. policy.”
: “As for Schr
Naive surprise coming from a philosophy major.
Pithpott, watch the saucy comments about philosophy majors. There are more of us out there than you think, and we stand up for our own. ;)
It’s worse than you think. Not only have Germany’s ruling politicians (particularly Schroeder) shamelessly played the anti-American card, the intelligentsia and the media are having an anti-American bonanza.
One small example: Der Spiegel, perhaps Germany’s most respected weekly magazine, had a picture from the war on this week’s cover. Nothing surprising there. But what picture did the editors choose ? I’m sure you recall the statue of Saddam that was torn down with such gusto. And the GI who climbed the statue; he put not only the Iraqi flag over Saddam’s face, but the US flag as well. From what I understand, a huge no-no for the US forces, but there it was.
But for how long ? Minutes, if that. And of all the pictures to come out of Baghdad that day, of all the images of jubiliation, chaos and combat, Der Spiegel chose for its cover the most unrepresentative moment of the day, not surprisingly the most anti-US image possible, the US flag over Saddam’s face. Outrageous !
There’s also a German ‘Middle East expert’, Peter Scholl-Latour, who has appeared on every German political talk show that’s broadcast. (That is saying something, because political talk shows on German TV are about as frequent as commercials on American TV.) Anyway, this Scholl-Latour is apparently widely respected for his intelligence and his insight. Way back when, I thought I might hear something interesting him (if he knows so much). But he puts forth an endless stream of anti-American spin, so it’s tough to stay focused long enough to hear if he actually knows anything. The capper was, during a discussion on the handling of POWs (featuring a clip on a North Vietnamese prisoner who was mishandled by the South Vietnamese – with Americans directing the process), when Scholl-Latour reminsced about what decent chaps – very hospitable, sharing their meager rations – his NVA captors were. As if there never was such a thing as the Hanoi Hilton. Outrageous !!
Apologies for the ramble. But, like you, I was intrinsically sympathetic to Germany. Difficult, if not impossible, any longer.
Cheers,
what the u.s. get in return is a nation deciding on its own. that wasn’t planned, i know. but sometimes “stuff happens”… ;-)
never mind, they’ll find new allies that don’t think for their own. it’s just a question of time.
Thinking is one thing, and quite welcome. Distorting, conniving, and lying is something else again.
May I assume, Vasili, that you’re Russian ?
Then again, why even go there.
@Rofe et.al.:
just to make a clear distinction: most germans including the government and the media are not “anti-American” but anti-bush-administration.
Thanks Michael, I appreciate the tip-off. Now I just got to learn how, when in a crowded place, to detect which one is from your radical faction.
rofe,
there was no need to think when the u.s. administration declared: “who’s not with us is against us”.
and no, i’m not russian.
Vasili,
Since I’ve long been one of the ‘against us’ types regarding the Bush administration, it’s been tough to snuggle up to some of their thinking. However, the unthinking posture of the anti-war (It’s all about oil), anti-American (just a bunch of cowboys) crowd has done an admirable job of pushing me that way.
Would I prefer a more enlightened bunch in Washington ? Absolutely. But I won’t abide shameless posturing from the other direction, either.
Andreas,
Germans have long prided themselves on their smug superiority to America and Americans, intellectually, morally, and philosophically. In my 7 years here, it hasn’t taken much insight to see the latent anti-Americanism that’s spread throughout the German media, talking heads and ‘intellectuals’. The phenomenon always amazed me, given how much Germans ‘know’ about America (and how free they feel to lecture about it) and how often they see / read / talk about it. If America is so dull, why are Germans so interested ? Crises (Pershing missiles, Yugoslavia, Iraq, etc.) just bring the latent to the surface.
If Herr Schroeder had told us what he’d do instead of fighting, I might have some respect for his position. But like most of what is coming out of Germany now, he settled for a non-position. Say something is bad; say nothing about how to deal with the problem. Criticize, but don’t offer alternatives. What do Germans want to do in the world, other than to heckle from the cheap seats ?
