Germany Puts Curbing Russia Ahead of Commerce
By ALISON SMALE AUG. 13, 2014
BERLIN — Over recent months, something significant has happened in Europe: In the crisis over Ukraine, Germany has assumed leadership not just in its familiar fashion of trying to coax Russia away from belligerence and bluster, but also in standing firm and imposing sanctions on Moscow even if they hurt German business.
Perhaps even more remarkable is that Germans, long anxious to preserve commercial, energy and cultural ties with their vast eastern neighbor, have gone along. Seventy percent of 1,003 adults polled last week by Infratest dimap for the public broadcaster ARD approved of stricter sanctions; just 15 percent viewed Russia as a reliable partner in a poll with a three-percentage-point margin of sampling error. [*Eyeroll* - surveys mean jack.]
In marked contrast to France’s leadership, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government — a united “grand coalition” of center-right and center-left — have kept German businesses apprised of any shift in thinking and made it clear throughout that tougher sanctions would be imposed if Russia fell further out of line.
The political upheaval over Ukraine has already affected Germany’s economy, slowing down growth and throwing into question the country’s ability to sustain its long record of robust performance even amid anemic recovery elsewhere in the European Union, economists said. The sanctions that would restrict trade between the countries are likely to cause further damage.
But the shocking downing of a Malaysian passenger airliner over eastern Ukraine in July hardened many Germans’ resolve and, with Germany leading, led to even tougher European sanctions on Moscow. Now, as Russia sends a huge convoy it says is delivering aid to beleaguered eastern Ukraine, Berlin is firmly warning Moscow not to exploit the column of trucks for military use or proceed without Ukrainian agreement, and telling Ukraine to show restraint and not worsen the plight of trapped civilians.
Appeals to reason have long been a hallmark of German policy. But, even if still couched in caution, there is a clear determination to show Russia that there can be no return to business as usual, even among German businesspeople who have spent years cultivating ties and profits there.
The support comes from surprising quarters. Eckhard Cordes, chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, ... noted that Moscow’s retaliation last week for the latest European sanctions would only sharpen the negative trends in business with Russia [So far, not the case] and that his group warned early on of the dangers of sliding into tit-for-tat sanctions. But he stopped well short of objecting to the Western measures or repeating warnings of past months about the danger of losing hundreds of thousands of jobs by shutting down the ties of 7,000 German companies doing business in Russia.
Gernot Erler, a lifelong Social Democrat ... spent decades promoting the Ostpolitik of reconciliation with the East. Now, he is bitingly critical of Russia and its leader.
“The policy of Vladimir Putin is destroying reserves of trust with breathtaking speed,” Mr. Erler said in an email. “Russia is not naming its goals and has suddenly become unpredictable. And being unpredictable is the greatest enemy of partnership. Restoring trust will take time.” [Back-at-ya sanctions were entirely predictable. LOL]
Government officials, speaking privately, use the word tragic to describe what they see as President Vladimir V. Putin’s rupture of decades of careful détente. The lament is echoed by businesspeople dealing with a country that seemed eager to look West and to have forgiven the Germans for the Nazi crimes and immense bloodshed of World War II. [What a load of melodramatic crap this is.]
“The trust we built up together and mutually in the last 15 to 20 years — not just in trade, but in school and sports exchanges, I myself did a lot here — has been shaken,” said Ralf Meyer, 50, a logistics manager who has worked with Russia since 1993 and has run his own company exporting air-conditioning and other climate control systems since 2006. “Parents are afraid to send their children to Russia to play matches. Much capital has flowed out of Russia that had already been sent in for specific investments. Projects have been delayed or canceled. Banks, whether giving lines of credit or bridging finance, delay answers.”
Mr. Meyer estimates that 1,900 people, mostly in Russia, depend on his company and associated contracting, fitting, repair work and transportation. Yet he does not fault the German government.
Ms. Merkel, of the center-right Christian Democrats, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, have managed the situation well, said Mr. Meyer, whose company is based near Hamburg. “I have faith in our government that it makes the right decisions for business,” he said, despite his disappointment “that we sometimes orient ourselves too close to what America wants,” even as the United States has “made some big mistakes in East European policy.”
“These sanctions are not the right way to get into a better situation with Russia. One must sit down and listen to what Russia wants,” he said, adding that he did not think Russia would invade Eastern Ukraine.
Many German businesspeople fret that ties might never be fully restored. Small and medium-size businesses — the backbone of Germany’s export-driven economy — are calling the Association of German Machine Builders to express their fear that Russian partners will turn to the Asian competition, maybe permanently ...
If Germany’s economy stalls further as a result of lost business with Russia and general uncertainty in a war-torn world, then it may drag down ... a still faltering recovery across Europe.
There are signs that differences over dealing with Russia may exacerbate tensions within the European Union ...
France and Britain have exchanged barbs over the wisdom of selling amphibious attack boats to Moscow, as France insists it will, or catering to the finances of Russian oligarchs, as the City of London does. President François Hollande of France, under much greater political and economic pressure than Ms. Merkel, has been less vocal in encouraging business support of sanctions, whose effect and scope have been debated for months in Germany.
[...]
The largest minority in Germany, estimated at 3.5 million, is Russian speaking — many, like Ms. Fischer, descendants of ethnic Germans who went to Russia centuries ago and have returned, along with Russian-born Jews and others who settled in Germany in the past 20 years.
To a degree unknown in the United States or even farther west in Europe, Russia is familiar. This has perhaps stiffened Germany’s resolve now that Russia has suddenly become, as Mr. Erler noted, unpredictable. Germans dislike the unexpected and have spent months rallying a determination not to let Mr. Putin’s actions stand.
[...] Seventy years after World War II, he added, “we confront in just a few short weeks a policy that changes borders by force. That cannot become the norm, either in Europe, or the world.”
Besides, he said, “the hollowing out of the principle of territorial inviolability could, in the end, be most dangerous of all to the multination state of Russia.”
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Eckhard Cortes - Wikipedia - here. Businessman/CEO - Metro AG (looks like supermarkets, nearly 300k employees worldwide).
Cortes, along with a bunch of fat cats and celebs, is signatory to a 'Energy Policy Appeal' 2010 - wikipedia - here - which is lobbying pro German use of nuclear and coal energy.
Gernot Erler - Wikipedia - here - SPD party former politician, former German foreign minister etc. Seem to love him in Bulgaria for some reason.
Ralf Meyer's a businessman.
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When I look at this article, what I see is 'valiant' Angela Merkel, mutter Germany, making sacrifices (the slowing of the German economy etc) ... and [cue sad music and get out the hankies] ... enter Germany's hardened resolve, after the downing of MH17.
How clever is this piece of propaganda?
Is this the final stage of propaganda that Goebbels was referring to -- where your target is so successfully vilified that whatever occurs is the target's 'fault', without question?
Sure sounds like it to me.
Then the article goes on to build up sensible, finger-wagging Germany 'showing' recalcitrant Russia there cannot be business as normal.
Doesn't mention that the US installing puppet government, US sinking $5 billion into Ukraine (a grab for Ukraine - it's strategic position, its resources, Ukraine as a pawn (and European ENERGY MARKETS!), that Biden's son's already at the helm in Ukraine and that the spoils have probably already been divided.
Hello? US has slapped the sanctions on Russia because US has $5 billion investment in Ukraine -- and EU followed suit, because the EU is another US and corporate puppet. **Also, read somewhere that sanctions PUT RUSSIA OUT OF THE RUNNING IN THE BUY-UP OF UKRAINE ASSETS ETC. Don't know if this is true, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least.
Then there's the often repeated 'warning' to Russia; now in relation to humanitarian aid. But, hey, they'll use any opportunity - no matter how irrational - to smear Russians.
We've had this crap from NATO/Rasmussen etc and aid has been blocked by Obama and Cameron ... until Russia said 'we're delivering' ... then aid was suddenly Poroshenko's idea - LMAO. Suddenly, EU also stepped in with a few million Euros in what is supposed to be 'humanitarian aid'. Is there even an authority that makes sure this actually *does* go to those it's supposed to go to?
So, Russia's this big, bad wolf -- and the big, bad wolf has been warned.
But this is painting Russia as an 'aggressor' in the ABSENCE of aggression.
It is the US and its bully EU/NATO puppets that are the aggressors.
Suddenly, *Russia's* unpridictable -- what? It was entirely predictable that Russia would react with its own sanctions; even a 5 year old would work that out. But let's play 'Russia's unpredictable'.
Actually, what *is* unpredictable is Ukraine. Ukraine with its US puppet government. Should be interesting to see how that pans out for everyone. But, never mind, let's not analyse that. Let's analyse Russia's make-believe unpredictability.
We then have 3x German business types give their pronouncements. Of course, they're going to back their own government. It's a government that serves corporate interests and US interests first and foremost, so that's not something business talking heads are likely to criticise, is it?
We did have a survey in there, but so what? Surveys mean jack. You can spin them any way you want to and, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what people think. People are (a) ignorant (b) apathetic (c) passive & easily sucked in by governments, propaganda etc -- and they don't count at the end of the day, because government policy isn't geared towards pleasing people; it's all about corporate interests.
But surveys make for good propaganda about the 'public will' or some bull like that.
So far, it doesn't look as though sanctions against Russia have had an impact on Russia. Read today that the rouble's up. So if there's a dampening of economy, it's out west.
The article goes on to cover some West vs East mended bridges broken melodrama:
Tragic - rupture of the 20 year east/west love affair.
Lament - wailing of businessmen who want to make money.
Afraid - afraid to send children to sports in Russia? Oh, please. It's not Nazi Germany 1939.
Capital - capital flowed out -- as above.
There's this build up of a picture that's not warranted -- at all. Russia's going about her business. Russia's not threatening anybody.
If there's anyone they should be afraid of it's the US and NATO, because it's NATO amassing troops around Russia. And listen to the justifications for attack on Russia (eg Rasmussen constantly making allegations about non-existent 'threat' from Russia) -- and just listen to the US politicians who use Ukraine as a political football; listen to them baying for blood-letting. That's blood chilling reading in the US.
But nobody has anything to say about that.
Ralph Meyer at least said he doesn't think Russia will invade Ukraine and, despite backing his government, he seems inclined to thinking that government policy isn't always right etc.
Yep. So quit with the propaganda and hysteria making justifications for war, USA.
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