A Radical Change In German Foreign Policy (A Commentary)

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle: Let the others take care of unpleasant things. dapd

Germany's Dangerous New Foreign Policy Doctrine -- Ralf Neukirch, Spiegel Online

With its abstention in the UN Security Council vote on Libya, Germany has abandoned its strict alignment with the West, a basic tenet of German foreign policy for decades. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's new doctrine is a dangerous one. It would be disastrous for Germany's Western partners began doubting Berlin's committment.

"My God, what will become of Germany when I'm gone?" Konrad Adenauer, West Germany's first chancellor, said 50 years ago. His overriding goal was to keep Germany firmly anchored in the West. He believed that integrating Germany in Europe and keeping it closely allied with the United States was necessary to protect the Germans from themselves. Adenauer was afraid that his compatriots might once again be tempted to veer out and forge their own path. Until a few weeks ago, this fear seemed absurd. But the situation has changed.

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My Comment: The world that Konrad Adenauer grew up in no longer exists, and as a result the Germans are now looking eastward .... not westward. Fed up with bailing under performing (and corrupt) European governments who cannot balance their budgets, and faced with a U.S. President whose focus is .... at best .... ambivalent towards Europe .... the Germans are now responding to an environment that they realize is not in their best interests. My prediction .... expect the Germans to look towards countries like Russia, China, and the other emerging BRIC countries in developing diplomatic and trade relations.