German Foreign Policy Turning?

There has indeed been a lot going on in the news lately relevant not only to Germany, but its future foreign policy. To begin with, former Chancellor Schröder rather suspiciously joined the ranks of Russian Gazprom, becoming an advisor to a new pipeline project which will deliver natural gas from Russia to Germany directly, under the Baltic Sea. Needless to say, this is thoroughly suspect considering he attended the signing of the pipeline deal just months ago on September 8th. The Washington Post immediately cried foul labeling him a sellout. David’s Medienkritik goes on to note

Remember how Schroeder was always looking out for the “little-guy” in Germany? Remember how he was always the champion of “social justice.” Remember how he always demanded other Germans show solidarity with the poor and unemployed. And then he can’t even wait one month after losing the Chancellery to take a multi-million dollar a year job representing the wealthy stockholders of a Russian gas pipeline company that he helped to promote while in office? The fact that the company is run by a former East German secret police officer who was close to Putin in his KGB years is truly disgusting.

What was his response:

In the past, I supported this project politically because I thought it made sense. I’m only 61 years old and I want to work. I don’t want to get in my wife’s way at home.

Needless to say, German politicians as well as your average German are rather upset. Regardless of whether this actually did influence his decision making with regard to the pipeline, it calls much of his past into question, such as his opposition to the Iraq war which of course was only about oil. If one thing has been proven, it’s that Schröder clearly made political decisions based on energy and greed, while his outrageous charge about the US remains unproven and unsupported.

Next up is everyone’s favorite Iranian who has just repeated his claim that the holocaust is a complete myth:

“They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets,” he said. On live TV, he called for Europe or North America – even Alaska – to host a Jewish state, not the Middle East.

What do these two events mean for German foreign policy? Both weaken Germany’s previous policies and continue to chisel away wiggling room. With Schröder’s so-called legacy already severely damaged by the man himself, the SPD is being forced to distance itself from not only Schröder but his pro-Russian policies. This leaves them with an easy cover should they begin to shift their foreign policy not to mention giving the CDU a golden opportunity to force them to do so.

Secondly, although Germans are as peace-loving now as they were war-mongering in the 30s and 40s, the Iranian government is trying very hard to push them over the edge. Even Vice-Chancellor Franz Müntefering has said Germany will start removing the barriers to “political consequences” for Iran’s nuclear program and the Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, exclaimed “I cannot hide the fact that this weighs on bilateral relations and on the chances for the negotiation process,”. Wow, “the chances.” It will be interesting to see how much more Germany will take.

Thus, these two events, completely outside the control of the current government, have served to undermine Germany’s previous policy with regard to Russia, Iran and have tarnished the SPD’s past few years of policy (how much remains to be seen). All of this significantly strengthens Chancellor Merkel’s position domestially giving her more leeway in her upcoming meeting with President Bush and his advisors from January 12th to 14th.

Update: Scraps of Moscow has an excellent post on the Russo-German revolving door system.