By Constanze StelzenmüllerA merciless war is being waged in the middle of Europe — on Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD). That, at least, is what a casual observer of German politics might conclude.
Rolf Mützenich, the head of the SPD’s parliamentary faction, has denounced demands by his Green and Free Democratic coalition partners for heavy weapons deliveries to Ukraine as “irresponsible.” His colleague Ralf Stegner toggles between angry tweets and accusatory Facebook screeds against critics of his party’s past policy towards Russia.
Sigmar Gabriel, a former foreign minister, has inveighed against “dangerous conspiracy theories” about German-Russian networks of influence. The maudlin self-pity is unedifying. Its stridency suggests that the criticism is hitting home.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz himself is becoming thin-skinned. He has dismissed three Bundestag members who had visited Ukraine and called for more military support, as “boys and girls.” In a recent interview, he suggested sending heavy weapons would make Germany and NATO “parties to the war.”
The cold truth is that there is much to criticize. It is way past time for the SPD to expel its top Russian gas lobbyist, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. It is also essential that German courts should investigate the links between Manuela Schwesig, premier of …read more
Source:: Brookings