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Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
Last year, when Russia launched its counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe, Germany pompously announced that it will raise its “defense” budget to over $100 billion and build one of the most powerful militaries in Europe. And the arrogance of the country that started both world wars and committed the most heinous acts of genocide against entire nations (or more precisely, multiple genocides, particularly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union) didn’t stop there. In November 2022, German media published leaked documents about Berlin’s plan for war with Russia. The likelihood of its viability was already questionable, to say the least, but it now seems that it was a complete waste of time for the planners.
Namely, Germany officially renounced the pledge to effectively double its military spending. Worse yet, Berlin also claims that it won’t even be able to meet NATO’s mandatory allocation of 2% of GDP for military purposes. On August 16, Reuters reported that a German government source confirmed this. The draft of a new budget financing law submitted by the Finance Minister Christian Lindner was passed by the German parliament, but only after the controversial clause about meeting NATO’s 2% of GDP requirement was removed at the very last minute. Instead, the largely sidelined Bundeswehr will maintain its policy to aim for spending the 2% on average over a five-year period, in accordance with Berlin’s official National Security Strategy.
“From now on, we will invest more than 2% of the GDP into our defense year after year,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on February 27, 2022.
The statement was made at the same time when he boastfully announced the so-called “Zeitenwende” – a “sea change” in German foreign policy. And yet, ever since, this brought nothing but trouble to Berlin. As the relationship with Moscow, crucial for Germany’s fledgling economy, degenerated into an indirect confrontation, the European Union’s leading member suddenly had to fall in line with US foreign policy virtually everywhere, leading to further economic issues. Apart from the disastrous consequences left by the sanctions boomerang, Berlin also initiated an unofficial conflict with Russia’s allies, such as China. In late November last year, another leak revealed that Germany was also planning to push for the economic decoupling of the EU and China.
Thanks to its suicidal subservience to Washington DC, and the direct participation in yet another American proxy war against Russia, Berlin has effectively destroyed its relatively cordial relationship with Moscow. This renewed belligerence toward Russia includes massive weapons shipments to the Kiev regime, an action that only prolongs the hostilities. Not to mention the fact that German “wunderwaffen” proved to be a spectacular failure when pitted against the Russian military. One would expect that at least Berlin learned its lesson from numerous historical defeats inflicted by Moscow, but it seems that’s simply not the case. It’s unclear if German leadership has an insatiable masochistic urge or if they simply lack even a modicum of sovereignty.
It’s also important to note that Berlin has been extremely inconsistent since last year, as evidenced by Scholz’s “guarantees” that Germany will not provide heavy weapons in order to prevent a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. The pledge proved to be an unadulterated lie as Berlin started sending more advanced weapons to the Neo-Nazi junta. And while Germany effectively started disarming itself, the US was planning on how to profit from this. Namely, as NATO members are increasing their military spending while getting rid of older weapons, the US Military Industrial Complex (MIC) is rubbing its hands as it expects to get the bulk of future procurement contracts. However, Germany’s move will disrupt this.
According to Reuters, approximately half of the $100 billion special fund Germany set up to modernize the Bundeswehr was allocated to purchasing weapons made in the United States. The latest move by the German government will greatly reduce orders, further causing a deterioration in relations with Washington DC. A government spokesperson in Berlin even refused to comment on the decision, although it’s clear that the strongest opposition to the increase in military spending came from Berlin’s Foreign Ministry, led by none other than the (in)famous Annalena Baerbock. Back in late January, she publicly declared that “we are at war with Russia“, causing a shockwave of criticism and official rebuttals from the German government.
It’s clear that the consequences of Germany’s rapid deindustrialization are showing earlier than anyone in its leadership could’ve ever imagined. As Berlin’s economic unraveling accelerates, it’s now faced with a much more powerful Russia, whose economy has eclipsed Germany’s for the first time in over three decades, becoming the largest one in Europe. In other words, the EU’s top member now has less money and a much smaller industrial capacity, while facing Moscow which has drastically improved its standing in both of these parameters. Not to mention the fact that other NATO members will certainly not take it too kindly that Berlin is simply ignoring the military spending target they’re all forced to meet.
