http://www.german-foreign-policy.com en-en http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57997 (Own report) - In view of this year's US presidential elections, German government advisors have diagnosed major tensions in relations between Berlin and Washington, which have arisen because of the USA's grave economic difficulties demanding inevitable drastic austerity measures. It is also uncertain how long the dollar will be able to maintain its exceptional global status. According to an expert of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAB), it had already become apparent at the last G-20 Summit that "the enormous power of the US" had "noticeably diminished" because of its economy's chronic weaknesses. The US government will therefore continue to apply pressure on Germany and the EU to increase the importation of US products and insist on a much stronger participation in military interventions. Because of its harder line toward Beijing, Washington can also be expected to formally or informally seek to expand NATO's range to Asia - to encircle China. 2012/02/20 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57996 (Own report) - The German foreign minister is using his current trip to Latin America to implement a new strategy for Berlin's policy as a global power. The strategy foresees Germany forging closer partnerships with so-called regional leading powers throughout the world, to expand Berlin's global influence. In Latin America - the focus of the German foreign minister's current visit - Germany sees Brazil and Mexico in this role. According to experts in Berlin, Brazil is the subcontinental country with "a clear leadership aspiration," which it will be able to fulfill, in the long run, thanks to its "hard power" and its very effective foreign policy. Therefore, it is a highly suitable ally for Germany. Mexico is viewed more skeptically. It places too strong an emphasis on the "doctrine of non-interference" in the affairs of other countries and is too dependent on the USA, according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Therefore, extensive groundwork will be necessary. As usual, Berlin camouflages its power policy ambitions with feigned apolitical initiatives. As the foreign minister announced, next year Germany will initiate a "Year of Germany" with comprehensive cultural and scholarly activities. 2012/02/15 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57995 (Own report) - Last night, under strong popular protests, the Greek parliament accepted the latest "austerity package," that the German government had promoted in the form of an ultimatum. This "austerity package" will lead to a 20 percent cut in private revenue and the minimum wage, therefore also in the public sector wages, which are dependent on the minimum wage. One hundred fifty thousand government employees will be laid off. Criticism of Berlin has become sharper because of its efforts to transform Athens into a de facto EU finance protectorate, using so-called austerity commissioners. Demonstrators burned German flags; Greek parliamentarians have announced an initiative to remind that German World War II reparations are still outstanding. Since 1945, the Federal Republic of Germany has consistently refused not only to pay reparations, but also Nazi debts, even those undisputed by the German Reichsbank at the end of the war. These would amount to more than three billion Euros today. But, the debate continues in the German capital about the suspension of democracy in Greece. 2012/02/13 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57994 (Own report) - At a trade fair in Dubai next week, German companies in "Security" industries will be seeking to land new contracts with the executive organs and secret services of the Arab world. At the "ISS World MEA 2012" trade fair, beginning Monday, so-called intelligence support systems for the surveillance of telephone, email and SMS communication will be presented to the mainly Arab potential customers. A Munich-based company is the main sponsor of the fair. "In light of the 'Arab Spring' and a tangible potential for conflict in the region, the high interest in security technology remains undaunted" in the Arab world, declared the "Germany Trade and Invest", a federally financed agency. Even though the revolts of 2011 provoked new redistribution measures within the dictatorships at the Persian Gulf, they did not lead to more democracy. "The already proficient government surveillance mechanism" in place, will therefore be "greatly enhanced." The German government shares the assumption that Arab countries offer good export opportunities for the German "security" industry and sabotages EU efforts to exercise stronger controls over exports of this type of technology. 2012/02/08 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57993 (Own report) - Since the defeat of the UN Security Council Resolution on Syria, Berlin has been insisting on the overthrow of its long-term cooperation partner, Bashar al Assad. The German foreign minister declared in harmony with the other western powers that the Syrian president "no longer has a future." This is a president, whose repression apparatus had used torture to prepare prisoners for interrogations by German officials and is currently held responsible for large-scale massacres. What remains uncertain is to what extent pro-western countries are furnishing weapons to the armed contingents of Syrian rebels, who, according to reports, are responsible for a massacre of dozens of Christians in the city of Homs. The civil war in Syria that seems inevitable falls in line with western geostrategic plans aimed at isolating Iran. This has been confirmed by reports from correspondents in Israel. The Syrian conflict provides a good example of how Berlin uses the issue of human rights arbitrarily, but very effectively. Even though the German government is posing as the protector of the Syrian opposition, whose oppression it had facilitated over the decades through its cooperation with the Syrian secret services, Berlin is still deporting Syrian refugees. 2012/02/06 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57992 (Own report) - In cooperation with so called private security companies (PSC), the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein - AV), is promoting German business expansion on the African continent. The AV has announced a conference to be held Wednesday at the BHF-Bank in Frankfurt/M, in which a Munich-based PSC will provide information to German businesses interested in expanding about methods of personal safety in African countries rich in resources and poverty-induced criminality. This PSC will accompany German firms in their profitable deals also in African countries and in Iraq - with the help of former secret service agents and former officers of special military and police forces. The German-African Business Association, which is cooperating with German government agencies, is pursuing expansion, so that Germany will not lose ground against its rivals in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting for Africa in 2012 an economic growth of almost six percent, German companies have been making only average profits. To accompany its conference, the German-African Business Association has published a study on the most promising African markets from a German perspective, with a detailed listing of the countries in relationship to their economic value for German companies. 2012/01/31 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57991 (Own report) - Government advisors in Berlin are warning against continuing German complicity in the increasing incidence of "targeted killings" by the US armed forces and the CIA. A newly published study by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) confirms that the United States is dramatically expanding its use of "targeted killings," not just in Pakistan. According to SWP, one of the prospects under consideration is the use of drone attacks or targeted commando assaults to "neutralize" members of the Mexican drug and weapons cartels, if they impinge upon US interests. At the Hindu Kush, not only special forces of the Bundeswehr are involved in "targeted killings" i.e. armed, extra-judiciary executions of alleged insurgents. Intelligence obtained by German secret services and police units could also contribute, because it is passed on to US authorities within the framework of the so-called "war on terror." According to SWP Washington will increase its campaign for stronger support for these killings in the near future - also in Berlin. 2012/01/27 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57990 (Own report) - The German foreign spy agency camouflages its agents as development aid workers, even in war zones. This was exposed by concordant reports on the arrests of three agents of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) last week in the Pakistani border region with Afghanistan. It was reported that the three spies claimed to be involved in so-called development aid activities and were using vehicles and calling cards with the emblem of the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ). The GIZ - as other German organizations - is engaged in the border areas, where the West is waging war, aided by intensive espionage, against the supporters of Afghan insurgents. With the use of this camouflage, the BND is tolerating the eventuality of additional dangers for development aid workers. The BND has been active in the Pakistani border regions of Afghanistan since the 1980s, when it was supporting warlords, still waging war today at the Hindu Kush. At the time, the BND's activities contributed toward reinforcing Pakistan's intelligence service, which today is considered one of the predominating forces in the Pakistani establishment. 2012/01/24 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57989 (Own report) - The German Foreign Ministry is warning that unrest in Nigeria could escalate. The German government is "very worried" about developments in that country, declared the Africa Commissioner in the German Foreign Ministry. For years, Nigeria has been the scene of violent upheavals in the Niger Delta and more recently has been marked by an escalation of attacks by Islamist organizations. Over the past few weeks, a nationwide general strike has paralyzed the country, during the course of which, government repressive forces have killed at least nine people. The widespread impoverishment of broad sections of the population in this country rich in petroleum and natural gas is the primary reason for these protests. Germany is interested in more than only Nigeria's natural resources; Germany also attributes significant geo-strategic importance to Nigeria, as a western proxy in African conflicts as well as a deputy in fighting against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Apprehension is now growing in government circles in Berlin, that Nigeria could be politically destabilized, which, in the eyes of Germany, would reduce its geostrategic usefulness. By intensifying cooperation with Abuja, the German government is attempting to counteract this development. 2012/01/20 http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/57988 (Own report) - Parallel to the Arab League's war threats against Syria, Germany is pleading to raise the pressure on the Syrian regime. It is consensus in the main capitals of the western world, including Berlin, that Moscow’s recent UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria is not confrontational enough and therefore insufficient. The Arab League's Syria observers are expected to deliver their report tomorrow, Thursday, which can serve as a justification for tougher action. The emirate Qatar's autocrat, who for the past few months has taken on the role of the Arab League’s rabble-rouser with the German government’s approbation, is now calling for military intervention against Syria. Berlin's use of an alleged concern for the violation of human rights, to justify its aggressive policy toward the Assad government, could serve as a prime example of the German government’s humanitarian cynicism to legitimatize its global policy. The German government was indifferent to human rights, as long as Damascus was a helpful partner for warding off migrants and as a torture chamber for interrogations within the framework of the "war on terror." Today, human rights activists are being ignored, when they criticize the Arabian Gulf dictatorships, such as Qatar, because they serve as the West’s auxiliary forces. The focus is on geo-strategic plans, such as the neutralization of Iran's last ally in the Arab world, Syria. 2012/01/18