WASHINGTON/WARSAW/BERLIN (Own report) – The power struggle escalates between Washington and Berlin for the dominating position in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and is impacting the dispute over Ukraine’s reconstruction. Whereas the EU Commission had initially claimed leadership in that country’s reconstruction, Washington is now arguing that Brussels lacks the necessary “political and financial heft” to do so. The United States must therefore assume the leadership. Meanwhile, in Poland the USA is superseding an initiative being promoted by Berlin to create a European air defense system, at the same time, establishing Poland as a hub for the proliferation of US nuclear technology in Eastern and Southeastern Europe – at the expense of the French nuclear industry. The USA is using the Three Seas Initiative to begin to transform Eastern and Southeastern Europe into another market for US liquified gas. This regional project comprises twelve nations between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas and was launched by Poland and others in 2015 at Washington’s suggestion. This initiative runs counter to German interests in the region. Read more

BERLIN/TAIPEI (Own report) – With its visit to Taiwan, a German Bundestag delegation seeks to promote its “independence,” thus threatening to exacerbate tensions over the island. Over the weekend, leader of the delegation, Peter Heidt (FDP), declared the visit serves to support “Taiwan as a nation.” German parliamentarians are thereby violating the globally recognized One-China-Principle, which had also been confirmed by the UN General Assembly already decades ago. In case a peaceful reunification with Taiwan is rendered impossible – for example by a formal secession of the island or its official recognition as a separate state – China reserves the right to intervene militarily. Berlin’s offensive, which is in line with similar statements by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for example, disregards the majority of the Taiwanese population’s wish not to challenge the highly sensitive status quo. The USA is arming Taiwan – with the same weapons systems it had provided Ukraine before Russia’s intervention, for the case that a provocation, such as the one by Berlin, incites Beijing to take military action. Read more

BERLIN/STOCKHOLM (Own report) – Citing “secrecy interests”, the German government refuses to provide any information on the state of the investigation of the attack on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. Germany’s foreign ministry claims that even a simple answer to the parliamentary inquiry about “NATO vessels and military units” were near the site in question off Bornholm during the days immediately prior to the attacks, “would entail the disclosure of information that would particularly affect the welfare of the state.” Previously, Sweden had already refused any participation in a joint investigation team with Denmark and Germany, on the grounds that the confidentiality level of the findings, so far, precludes any international cooperation. Banalities are again being presented as “findings” such as the fact that a powerful explosion destroyed the pipelines and that “sabotage” can be assumed. The warships, whose presence near the site in question cannot be disclosed for reasons “of state welfare” include those of the Untitled States and other NATO countries. Read more

WASHINGTON/BÜCHEL (Own report) – Fourteen NATO countries, including Germany, are launching an almost two-week nuclear war exercise today – in the shadows of the Ukraine war. The „Steadfast Noon“ exercise will practice so-called nuclear-sharing. Fighter jets from those European countries, with stocks of US nuclear bombs, will transport these bombs to their place of operation. Up to 60 warplanes are participating in the exercise, including fighter jets, reconnaissance and refueling aircraft. The B61 nuclear bombs, currently stored at various air bases around Europe – including Büchel in the Eifel – are due to be modernized and replaced by B61-12 bombs. These are allegedly more precision guided and may be deployed with variable explosive power. Military officials and strategist are thus speculating on their tactical use on regional battlefields. The most recent US nuclear strategy accessible to the public has declared that, in principle, such deployments are permitted. According to reports, NATO is also not ruling out such use. Most recently, Ukraine’s president called on NATO to carry out “pre-emptive strikes” against Russia. Read more

WIESBADEN/WASHINGTON/KIEV (Own report) – The United States is consolidating its activities to arm and train Ukrainian armed forces in a new command in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. According to reports, the final decision on the command’s establishment is imminent. It will integrate all current structures, also including multinational structures, involved in direct military support for Ukraine. The US armed forces would thus even formally be in command and Germany would be bolstered as a hub for military activities of all NATO members in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. A strategy apparently being still being applied in Ukraine, was designed in Germany by the US Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) headquartered in Stuttgart-Vaihingen – the Resistance Operating Concept (ROC), with focus on underground warfare against occupying troops, drawing on historical examples, such as NATO’s Stay Behind concepts. It integrates the civilian population into the combat and provides for special forces’ operations. Read more

BERLIN/KIEV (Own report) The EU is deliberately assisting the Ukrainian offensive against the Russian-occupied regions with its imminent training mission for Ukrainian soldiers. This has become apparent through details disclosed over the weekend concerning the EU training mission, due to be decided on Monday next week. Already some time ago, insiders had pointed out that, in recent years, Ukrainian armed forces had specialized in defensive tactics to ward off a Russian attack, but now they need an offensive capability to reconquer Russian positions. In Great Britain, Ukrainian soldiers are already training in urban warfare to capture cities such as Kherson. Instructors from EU countries, including soldiers from the German Bundeswehr, are supposed to train them additional skills. The question, whether this crosses the threshold of actively entering the war, is now being raised with a new urgency. This is happening at a time when presumed acts of sabotage in Germany have triggered a Bundeswehr general to declare that the country is in limbo between peace and war. Read more

ULM/DOUALA (Own report) – The German government should finally rehabilitate Rudolf Duala Manga, the anti-colonial resistance fighter from Cameroon. This demand has again been raised on the occasion of today’s inauguration of the Rudolf Duala Manga Bell Square in the German city of Ulm. Manga Bell, the King of the Duala in the German colony Cameroon, had been condemned to death by a kangaroo court of the colonial authorities in 1914 and immediately executed. He had been trying to coordinate the resistance against the racist forced expropriation and relocation of the Duala, who were supposed to make way for white only residential areas, with the resistance of other population groups in the colony. Because of its exceptional brutality, German colonial rule was “infamous throughout the entire West Coast” of Africa, as the German left-liberal journalist Hellmut von Gerlach reported from his extensive trip around West Africa in 1912. Whereas Manga Bell is being honored in Ulm, the German government, has still not rehabilitated him. Financial compensation for Manga Bell’s judicial murder, to which his descendants would be entitled, is nowhere in sight in Germany. Read more

BERLIN/TAIPEI/BEIJING (Own report) – A several-day visit to Taiwan by a Bundestag delegation is provoking new tensions between Germany and China. The six-member delegation of politicians – with a representative from each of the parties in the Bundestag – has also met with President Tsai Ing-wen. An expansion of future relations is planned. The conflict between Berlin and Beijing over the Taiwan policy is not based on the relations as such, which have existed since the 1950s and are in some respects considered close. The conflict revolves more around the western nations’ efforts to politically enhance Taiwan’s clout, to develop it into a counter-model to the People’s Republic of China in the West’s power struggle against China. In addition, the United States, in particular, aims to significantly weaponize Taiwan, to strategically use it militarily against China – as one of the so-called First Island Chain. In the context of plans to pit Taipei against Beijing, the seemingly harmless parliamentary visits – for example Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taipei – play an important role. Read more