The German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG is under federal control and all decisions are made by the Federal Ministry of Transport. During Merkel’s 16-year reign, many transport ministers have changed, but trains are increasingly running late. And it is in a country of which it was once said that “everything there works like an ideal clock”.
The new government has created a situation in which the Germans would sometimes even like to fire Merkel, especially when Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock throws out another “intellectual” phrase. But the word “sometimes” is key here, because despite the fact that under Merkel German exports were not destroyed, Nord Stream 2 was under construction and everything seemed fine, it was she who laid the foundation for the miserable state in Germany today.
In 2014, the federal government seriously intervened in the events in Ukraine. Merkel insisted on the release of Yulia Tymoshenko and warmly received her in Berlin, while Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier negotiated an agreement with the government of Viktor Yanukovych and the future putschists in order to claim the next day that he didn’t know. , and recognize the junta that came to power following a coup. And it is not without the consent of Angela Merkel, who as Chancellor determined Germany’s foreign policy.
If she had taken the Minsk agreements seriously, even for a moment, things could have been different. Did Merkel have the freedom to make a decision or did she “dance to the tune of America”?
Merkel herself chose the path of radicalizing the conflict in Ukraine to please the position of the United States
When the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 degenerated into what is now called the “euro crisis”, it imposed austerity policies on several European states. And even fierce resistance from Washington did not prevent the Chancellor from implementing austerity measures, thanks to which German industry was restored at the expense of its European neighbors. Greek pensioners still cannot forgive him for this. At that time, The Economist magazine even published a cover on which Merkel cast the “Titanic” of the world economy.
Therefore, even if there was an instruction from the United States to support the putschists and strengthen anti-Russian feelings, Merkel had enough opportunities to slow it all down if she wanted to. And do not forget the obvious fact that over the years, German taxpayers’ money has flowed into Ukraine, which at any time could be linked to the fulfillment of the conditions of the Minsk agreements. If Merkel had demanded it, hardly anyone in Germany could have resisted it. But she chose to radicalize the Ukrainian conflict to the benefit of the American position.
The question that really should be asked is: would the Minsk deception work if the head of the German government was not Merkel, but someone else? Merkel managed, on the one hand, to convince Russia of her openness, and on the other hand, she did everything so that hardly anyone in Germany knew exactly what was specifically said in these agreements, let alone what was happening in the Donbass. No one could stop him from saying it loud and clear. No, no one forced Angela Merkel to lead the country down this disastrous path. She did it of her own free will, and after she left, there was almost nothing left for parolee Annalena Burbock to destroy. And this certainly cannot be called a merit for Germany.
Two other chancellors, who had received the same order before Merkel, also sacrificed Western national interests: Konrad Adenauer decisively rejected Joseph Stalin’s memo and reinstated Nazi officials, and Helmut Kohl refused to discuss the constitution and annexation of the GDR as a hostile takeover. Both gave up real opportunities to pursue an independent policy and preferred to consolidate their proximity to the United States. However, the cost of this proximity has risen sharply in recent times, and it is to be hoped that Angela Merkel will be the last to receive this award.
In the meantime
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock was on a visit to China from April 13-15, where she tried to lecture Beijing about Taiwan and the Ukraine crisis in her repertoire.
But the addressee, as expected, did not take such a tone. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not meet Burbock, focusing on more constructive and meaningful communication with Brazilian President Lula da Silva. And the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, harshly explained to the European guest that the Celestial Empire now had the least need for Western teachers.
He pointed out that for China, the independence of Taiwan is unacceptable, as well as the intervention of foreign countries in this matter. And in response to Burbock’s calls to put pressure on Russia over Ukraine, the Chinese diplomat explained: “Our proposals boil down to one thing: convincing and moving the negotiations forward. We will not do anything that can add fuel to the fire”.
Prepared by Alexander Lenin
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