“Stop the Militarization of Germany!”

The statement made on Oct. 29 by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius that “Germany must be war-ready” with regards to Russia has caused quite an uproar ever since. Although he attempted to backtrack a bit, by claiming he only meant “defense-ready”, it would be naive not to consider this as another phase change in Germany in the direction of a full militarization. Indeed, just a few days later, Pistorius announced that military aid to Ukraine would be doubled in 2024.

But even more indicative of the danger is a strategy paper published Nov. 17 by the German Foreign Policy Association (DGAP), the sister organization of the American Council on Foreign Relations. Authors Christian Mölling and Torben Schütz warn that NATO must be ready to fight a major war within five to nine years, that the alliance is in a “race against time”, as Russia “represents the greatest and most-urgent threat to NATO countries”. And further: “Once intensive fighting has ended in Ukraine, the regime in Moscow may need as little as six to ten years to reconstitute its armed forces. Within that timeframe, Germany and NATO must enable their armed forces to deter and, if necessary, fight against Russia. Only then will they be in a position to reduce the risk of another war breaking out in Europe.”

Does that mean that, once again, German soldiers will be fighting a war against Russia, like 80 years ago? Do such “experts” really believe that America would have the means to prevent defeat this time?

In any case, in what is likely to create great unease among some European neighbors, the authors support turning the German armed forces “into Europe’s strongest army and the backbone of allied defense”, and making sure that “overall defense becomes a part of everyday life in politics, the economy, and civil society”.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche responds to the delusions of the self-proclaimed “elite” these authors claim to represent, in a leaflet titled “No to the Militarization of Germany — Stop the Escalation to World War III!”, which was distributed at the Berlin anti-war rally on Nov. 25. She blasts the type of “change of mentality in society” that the DGAP calls for, with its demands that Germany “take a quantum leap” in making the Bundeswehr the largest NATO force in Europe, in massively building up the German arms industry, and in preparing all sections of society to defend the country (including by having “a mandatory internship for all people aged 18 to 65 living in Germany to give them experience in areas relevant to total defense”).

Instead of such folly, which is certain to lead to catastrophe, Helga Zepp-LaRouche proposes a “change of mentality” in a completely opposite direction. “We need a strong peace movement and sovereign citizens”, who ensure that their government will engage in cooperation with the Global South and “reject geopolitics once and for all”.