Politics German Politics

[chonkoa]

US to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany in 'strategic' move

US to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany in 'strategic' move

President Trump says the move is a response to Berlin's failure to meet targets on defence spending.

www.bbc.com

The US is set to withdraw almost 12,000 troops from Germany in what it described as a "strategic" repositioning of its forces in Europe.

About 6,400 troops will be sent home, with the rest moved to other Nato countries such as Italy and Belgium.

President Donald Trump said the move was a response to Germany failing to meet Nato targets on defence spending.

But it has attracted widespread opposition in Congress from those who believe it will embolden Russia.

Senior German officials have also expressed concern.

"We don't want to be the suckers anymore," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday shortly after the move was announced. "We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills; it's very simple."

Mr Trump has long complained that European members of Nato should spend more on their own defence. He has said that Nato members should no longer be relying so heavily on the US to shoulder the costs of maintaining the alliance.

The argument between the allies focuses around the target agreed by all alliance members that defence spending should reach 2% of GDP (gross domestic product, the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country) by 2024. Germany, along with many other countries, has yet to meet this target.

To my German friends, what is the domestic response to this move?
I am still scratching my head to understand the underlying driver(s) behind this.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

US to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany in 's...

From what I can gather so far, response here in Germany has been mixed. Obviously, communities that have hosted U.S. armed forces facilities are devastated. Not only will the economic consequences of the troop pull out be devastating (U.S. personnel being major customers of shops and restaurants, but also employers to thousands of German local nationals), but following, in some cases, almost 7 decades, many, many close friendships have been forged. I personally am quite acquainted with that particular territory myself, having had many friends and acquaintances in the U.S. department of defence, diplomatic and Radio Free Europe community in Munich of the 1960s', 70s' and 80s'.

Others, however, are more ambivalent. And some are actually applauding the retreat from Germany, especially supporters of political parties left of the center. A distinct, unveiled anti-Americanism (of various extents) has always been a feature of Germanys' Green Party fundmentalists. The same applies to many Social Democrats and is genuinely outspoken in the far leftist Die LInke party. The current POTUS has exacerbated this sentiment, him being the most unpopular U.S. commander-in-chief in the history of post-WWII Germany and general anti-American sentiment (primarily directed at U.S. politicians/policies-not citizens per se) having never been higher. And I never thought that the HIGHLY critical German publics' view of the U.S. from 2003 onwards during the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz era could have been surpassed. But at least we had a highly competent foreign minister back then (quite the paradox that he was "a Green"-but very, very clever, firmly anchored in "Realpolitik", undogmatic and he got along well with Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell).

In fact, rumour now has it that it was the Social Democrat coalition partner that accelerated the decision to withdraw. Party co-chairwoman Saskia Eskens (utterly horrible individual incidentally) torpedoed an arms deal brokered with German Christian Democrat defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for a large number of U.S. F-18 fighter jets. Washington D.C. was not amused.

 

[chonkoa]

^ I am actually confused with this move. Is it a spite at Angela Merkel or is it a response to an anti-US sentiment, I honestly don't know. I know that Trump and Merkel do not get along. It is deeply worrying nonetheless.
How low we have sunken.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

^ I am actually confused with this move. Is it a spite at...

Certainly an utterly childish spite at Angela Merkel-among other things. Perhaps in part driven by envy as Merkel is, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the (so far) most respected world leader while Trump gathers little more than horrified face-palms. Some giggles as well from the likes of Putin and Erdogan. And Bolsonaro is Trumps' "brother from another mother". But I'll leave further attempted analysis of Donald Trumps' psyche to those more competent in the field of clinical psychology/psychiatry.

The German government, however, must own the dismal managment of the countrys' armed forces and stand responsible for the calamitous administration/distribution of funds/material originally earmarked for the military. Regarding this particular issue, the criticism directed at the German coalition government is warranted.

 

[SCOTT27]

Well,Well,Well...

 

[Deleted member 1071]

Well,Well,Well...

Not pleased myself. Laschet is a meandering blatherer. But...

It will be of utmost importance to cast ones' vote "strategically" in this general election year. A "Red-Red-Green" coalition must be averted. A CDU majority government is highly unlikely regardless of whom their candidate for the chancellory is. The realistic least of all evils would hence be a CDU/CSU/Green coalition. The SPD and Die Linke are either hopelessly socialist-reactionary, too radically positioned to the left or both and thus have no place in government. The FDP finds itself lanquishing in single digit approval ratings. Laschet, in contrast to Merz, is unlikely to cling to insistence of being the CDU chancellor candidate should his electorate approval ratings remain in the basement. Should Laschets' dismal approval ratings among the electorate not improve dramatically, I can easily see him not obstructing a path in which Markus Söder will become the Unions' candidate for the chancellorship. Should Söders' current electorate approval ratings be sustainable, his election will be a cakewalk. Laschet will remain CDU party chairman-but Söder, as chancellor, will call the "big" shots.

 

[.Wyatt]

By far the worst decision the CDU could have come up with. Laschet is a wimp, a guy that stands for "Just going on with Merkel's agenda" rather than giving the CDU the major overhaul they need. Laschet is that sort of guy who is unable to retrieve his balls from his wife's purse.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

By far the worst decision the CDU could have come up with.

I would have thought precisely the same-up until about one week ago when Laschet stated that the CDU chairmanship is NOT necessarily synonymous with a chancellorship candidacy. This strikes me as being a rational assessment anchored in Realpolitik and not ego. Merz, on the other hand, views party chairmanship and the chancellorship candidacy as inseparable. And while Merz' approval ratings among the electorate are far better than those of Laschet, SPD candidate Olaf Scholz as well as the Greens' Robert Habeck (or Annalena Baerbock) could pressure him considerably in the general election race. On the other hand, Laschet making way for Söder as the chancellorship candidate would almost ensure a convincing victory (perhaps landslide) for Söder and the CDU/CSU, as Söder is currently the electorates' most popular politician in Germany by quite some margin. Win/Win for both Laschet as well as Söder. Now, the CDU will just need to find a way to compel Markus Söder to leave Bavaria.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

I would have thought precisely the same-up until about one week ago when Laschet stated that the CDU chairmanship is NOT necessarily synonymous with a chancellorship candidacy. This strikes me as being a rational assessment anchored in Realpolitik and not ego. Merz, on the other hand, views party chairmanship and the chancellorship candidacy as inseparable. And while Merz' approval ratings among the electorate are far better than those of Laschet, SPD candidate Olaf Scholz as well as the Greens' Robert Habeck (or Annalena Baerbock) could pressure him considerably in the general election race. On the other hand, Laschet making way for Söder as the chancellorship candidate would almost ensure a convincing victory (perhaps landslide) for Söder and the CDU/CSU, as Söder is currently the electorates' most popular politician in Germany by quite some margin. Win/Win for both Laschet as well as Söder. Now, the CDU will just need to find a way to compel Markus Söder to leave Bavaria.

Since the victory of Laschet is already a fact and most probably Söder will become a chancellor I think that there are good chances that finally the Chancellor will be driven in a BMW.