US media article: Germany is nato's weakest link

The Wall Street Journal website published an article titled "Putin Targets Germany – NATO's Weakest Link" on February 7, written by Peter Ruff, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute. The full text is excerpted below:

While the world is wondering whether Vladimir Putin will "invade" Ukraine, the battle for the West has already begun. Without firing a shot, Putin attacked the weakest link in the transatlantic alliance: Germany. When Prime Minister Olaf Scholz visits the White House on the 7th, it will be the most important meeting between the US president and the German leader.

President Biden's acceptance of Scholz is only the latest move by the U.S. government to curry favor with Germany, but the prime minister will arrive with one eye fixed on Moscow. Scholz, who took office last December, is unlike Gerhard Schroeder, who served as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005, and is not a close friend of Putin. But both belong to the Social Democratic Party, which sees relations with Russia as crucial to its identity as well as to Germany. To justify their overtures, Social Democratic leaders often quoted their Cold War-era slogan: "The United States is indispensable, but the Soviet Union is unshakable." Scholz either ignores Putin's threat to Ukraine or talks about the value of engagement when persecuted.

The Chancellor's negative posture reflects Germany's inherent attitude towards the question of the use of force. Most Germans not only believe that the use of force is obsolete, but also draw a red line for actions that could lead to the death of Russians. The historical memory of the Germans taught them that any war with Russia would lead to destruction.

Russia has kept Germany neutral

Putin, who speaks fluent German, was stationed in Dresden as a KGB agent during the Cold War. He probably knows more about Germany's views than Biden.

Although Germany is the most influential country in Europe, it has provided only 5,000 helmets and a field hospital for defense operations in Ukraine. To make matters worse, Berlin recently blocked NATO ally Estonia from supplying weapons to Ukraine.

German Naval Superintendent Kai-Achim Schönbach advocated giving Putin "the respect he wanted, and probably deserves"— a gesture that led to his resignation a few days later. By last month, allied confidence in Germany had been severely weakened, and Britain bypassed the country's airspace to deliver defensive weapons to Ukraine for fear of being denied flying over German airspace.

Germany's decision this year to withdraw from nuclear power and phase out coal has proven to be a windfall for Putin.com. Today, half of Germany's natural gas is imported from Russia. The recently completed second line of the Nord Stream gas pipeline will reinforce this dependence. German officials say interdependence can maintain peace, and if war breaks out, Putin will use it as an asymmetric weapon.

Beauty forces Virtue to make a choice

It is up to Biden to balance Putin and reach a new understanding with Germany. First, the Biden administration should announce a major plan to secure alternative gas supplies for Europe from around the world (starting domestically) to reduce Germany's vulnerability to Putin and the second line of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. In this regard, and in all Russia-related actions, the United States should commit to close consultation in exchange for Germany's opposition to Russia's separate line of negotiations with Europe, from which Putin could profit.

Biden can't just accept Scholz, he has to rely on him. This is crucial if Germany is to rebuild its relations with Eastern Europe. Germany considers itself an economic power and must commit to responding to Russia's "aggression" through comprehensive EU-coordinated sanctions. To prove it, Biden could point to a similar effort being made by Congress. While Germany may be reluctant to rebuild its army and supply weapons to Ukraine, it could fund the development of allied forces and support the permanent presence of allied forces in NATO's forward countries.

Over time, Germany has become increasingly inclined to sit on the sidelines or, worse, to adjudicate disputes. One reason is that the Biden administration turned a blind eye as Germany and Russia fought. Starting Monday, Biden should let America's allies make a choice.

Source: Reference News Network