← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · David Ben-Ariel
Thread ID: 11703 | Posts: 8 | Started: 2004-01-02
2004-01-02 05:24 | User Profile
The Grand Design
Forty years ago, Franz Josef Strauss had a vision for Germany. Today, this vision is largely reality.
By Mark Jenkins
After World War II, few would have envisioned Germany as a major power on the world scene again. Few Germans would have publicly admitted to national ambitions. Yet today, the German nation is at the forefront of global politics again. An accomplishment like that takes vision.
In 1965, just 20 years after the war, German politician Franz Josef Strauss wrote a book titled The Grand Design: A European Solution to German Reunification. It is not a large book. It is written in a candid, straightforward manner. This book details how Germany could rise to power again: not simply as a nation, but as part of a federal Europe. In 1965, the idea of Europe as a federated, cohesive force probably didnââ¬â¢t sound realistic to many nations. But less than 40 years later, though Strauss died in 1988, much of his grand design has moved from the planning stages to the world stage.
The United States of Europe The central idea behind Straussââ¬â¢s vision was what he called ââ¬Åa massive drive to achieve, step by step, a European political federation.ââ¬Â This aspect of his plan was to eliminate problems for Germany specifically, Europe as a whole, and even the United States on the other side of the ocean. Certainly the idea of a European federation has been pursued with tremendous energy on the Continent. When Strauss detailed his plan, the seeds had already been planted by the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community via the Paris Treaty in 1952. Straussââ¬â¢s envisioned much more than a mere economic union though: He wanted Europe to become a global power as it had striven to be in the past. This is perhaps best illustrated by the direct comparisons he drew between the U.S.ââ¬âthe only Western superpower thenââ¬âand what would become a newly federated Europe. ââ¬ÅEurope only needs to combine its material and intellectual resources to provide for America a partner of equal weight,ââ¬Â he wrote. Strauss did not want Europe to be overshadowed by America. Along those lines, Strauss also directly addressed Americaââ¬â¢s role as the policeman of the world: ââ¬ÅAmerica as shield and protector of the free societies is faced by ever greater challenges which in the long run she cannot meet out of her own strength alone. America needs Europe, not only in her cultural role as a modern Greece, but as a second independent power on her side.ââ¬Â Certainly, we can see how these words are applicable today as the U.S. increasingly turns to the United Nations and to Europe for global support. Europe, and Germany in particular, recently has been assuming more of the U.S.ââ¬â¢s traditional role as regional policeman, acting as ââ¬Åpeacekeepersââ¬Â in the Balkans, Afghanistan and other regions...
For the rest of the story: [url]http://www.thetrumpet.com/geo/na/docs/issues/200401/grand-design.asp[/url]
2004-01-02 20:58 | User Profile
Three times Germany has been driven to economic desolation and three times it has risen from the ashes to become an economic powerhouse. The Thirty Years War, World War One and now World War Two are all testomonies to the superiority of German culture (and no I am not Germanic and do not believe aryans to necessarily be genetically superior, I am a culturalist not a rascist.)
While in the military I had the honor of living in Germany for two years, the German people are among the warmest and heartiest people I have ever met and are more broad-minded than the vast majority of Americans. Unless one hates Germans I don't see why the German's pursuit of greatness sans nationalism is a "threat." This article uses such hyperbolic language its almost funny. We are led to believe that the Germans are looking for a leader to bring order out of chaos at almost any price. This apocalyptic rhetoric makes the Germans look more sinister that they are. Even the term, "Grand Design" is the author's own grandiose invention.
The article hints that since Germany's resurrection is due to a conscious plan it is somehow more suspect. Guess what? Every superpower became great because someone in that nations history consciously sat down and asked themself, "how can we become great." Spain, England, Russia, Japan, even America became superpowers due to conscious plotting.
Oh yes, one more thing. I was in Germany during our illegal invasion of Serbia (one of the reasons I left the military) and witnessed the massive anti-American and anti-NATO demonstrations being held by German people who did not want to see a return to German militarism. In the final months I was there we were given strict orders to avoid many cities in Germany where protesters were (which disproves the idiotic leftist notion that the current rift in US-European relations is solely due to Bush's arrogance). My point is that despite the German desire to be succesful, German culture remains deeply pacifistic. The Germans simply desire to be all they can be, the same desire that our military once tried to instill in its recruits.
-Llen
2004-01-02 21:02 | User Profile
[QUOTE=LlenLleawc] My point is that despite the German desire to be succesful, German culture remains deeply pacifistic.
-Llen[/QUOTE]
Which is due to the guilt complex Germans are given through brainwashing from the very moment they are born. Germans are afraid of being seen as 'Nazis' in the world's eyes once again, so for the most part they do prefer to appear pacifistic.
2004-01-02 21:05 | User Profile
Right now I regard Israel as the threat due to its fifth column and the corrupt shabbos goys here who will sell this country out for power, money, cultist beliefs, and sheer stupidity. Israel is nothing more than a parasite that sucks the life out of this country.
Germany isn't a threat to me despite what the Jews might think.
2004-01-02 21:41 | User Profile
Which is due to the guilt complex Germans are given through brainwashing from the very moment they are born. Germans are afraid of being seen as 'Nazis' in the world's eyes once again, so for the most part they do prefer to appear pacifistic.
The Germans are pacifists for the sake of self preservation. Any descent of the Cold War into a Hot War had automatically ended in a thermonuclear war on German soil. Germany was the supposed battleground of WWIII. The French had designed their nuclear force for potential use against the German battlefield. The Red Army planned a massive bombing of all urban areas 200 miles west of the Iron Curtain. The American forces were supposed to retreat up to the Rhine River until their forces were strong enough to push back the Russian troops. And do not forget that Germans were supposed to kill each other as there were two German armies (Bundeswehr under NATO and the NVA under the Warsaw pact) back then. The older people still had war traumas back from WWII. The rearmament of Germany back in 1955 was very unpopular among the civilian populations and there were riots against the government. Most Germans supported the Finland option, basically a demilitarized zone consisting of the Central European states of the two Germanies, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The current army has problems to recruit despite massive unemployment. But when you have a defense minister like Peter Struck claiming that Germany is defended at the Hindukoush it isn't hard to figure out why. As our leaders are currently in great need of more canon fodder I am not very hostile towards pacifist stances.
2004-01-03 03:34 | User Profile
The word "pacifist" brings to mind ugly visions of screaming leftist vermin. Armed neutrality is the wisest policy: no insane foreign adventures like the one our illustrious Chimp-in-Chief has us mired in - but totally prepared to blast the greasy guts out of any enemy nation stupid enough to attack you.
2004-01-03 04:35 | User Profile
I will not infanicize the German element, nor will I refuse follishly to fail to understand its rising. But I will tell you this - Germany can do nothing militarily. Nothing. Those days are indeed over, and I am not celebrating them ..
The real reason why no major war has occured in 60 years now is totally in the mind. Old nationalities and allegiances are gone and do not resonate in the hearts of the young. And as you know it is the young who carry out the deeds of war. We live in a woman's world, a feminine world . And the reason for that is because there is nothing ANY man can do to change it. The Old World is gone.. and I want to die with it. I have no desire to continue in this hell. While the last vestiges, personally in my family, stay, I will continue. Aching. How any man could bear chiild now, is aggrevious to me. The white racists say we are promulgating the blood . I know that is true. But to bring the blood into what world ?? TO make them live in a world where everything is discovered, every mountain climbed, every sea crossed, and a subject to the Satanic powers who rule this Earth ? I don't know .. and I know what its like to see parents die... you want to take food in lust ? do you ? I have no vigor for life anymore. I lack the drive which was my birthright. Now there is nothing to explore, in the Grace of God, nothing to fill my heart. I would rather just cast the line down, never to be again in this sick world.
2004-01-06 18:36 | User Profile
I think that mr. David Ben-Ariel doesn't know anything about Europe and european politics and reality. Does he ever have been here?
1.Yeah Germans are quit strongly involved in birth of EU, but so are Frenchmens too. In EU Germans don't even have proportionate voting power compared to population of Germany. For example Poland and Spain together have more votes than Germany, but their population is even in together smaller than Germany's population.
To think that EU is existential threat to Israel is ridiculous. First: we don't have single powerfull EU-army. Second: Israel has nuclear weapons (yes France and UK has them too but it doesn't matter. Third: We sadly have powerfull jewish minorities too, and so real attack or even boycott against Israel is very unprobable.
I think Israel itself is biggest threat against Israel. It's outraging policies may at last in coming years alienate it's friends and allies. Without US money and US weapons Israel will collapse fast. Also there is some risk of civil war in colonization question. Colonies and colonists are quite unpopular there, and even majority of jewish population there doesn't like protect them and being target of terrorist actions for doing so.