How has the war in Ukraine changed German politics?
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2022
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In late February, German chancellor Olaf Scholz described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a ‘Zeitenwende’ - turning point - sparking the biggest shift in German foreign policy since the Cold War.
The highlights included a 100bn euro package to boost the military and meet Nato’s 2 per cent of GDP defence spending obligation, send weapons to Ukraine and end his country’s dependency on Russian energy.
A surprisingly bold plan from a man many had thought was - like many of his predecessors - naturally cautious. He drew applause at home and abroad, but two months on there is sense that Scholz is wavering.
Can he, and will he, see his plan through?
Joining David Aaronovitch in the briefing room are:
Sir Paul Lever, former British Ambassador to Germany and author of Berlin Rules: Europe and the German Way
Professor Markus Ziener, Helmut Schmidt Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States
Daniela Schwarzer, Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations
Sophia Besch, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform
Producers: Octavia Woodward, Kirsteen Knight and Ben Carter Production Co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill Studio Manager: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.8 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Aronovich. |
| 0:08.6 | It's the room in the metaverse, where in 28 minutes you and I go to try and understand a big issue |
| 0:13.6 | with the help of the top experts on the subject. |
| 0:16.9 | This week, the invasion of Ukraine has caused a fundamental rethink of policy in Germany. |
| 0:22.6 | How's that going? |
| 0:26.8 | Few countries have had a bigger adjustment to make to the realities of Russia's aggression against Ukraine than Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe. |
| 0:36.5 | In late February, the new Chancellor Olaf Schultz |
| 0:39.3 | described the moment as a siten vendor, a turning point. |
| 0:43.3 | But saying it is one thing, doing something about it another. |
| 0:48.3 | So how far has Germany turned? |
| 0:51.3 | And how much turning has it left to do? Step inside the briefing room and together |
| 0:56.0 | we'll find out. First, let's look at the part that relations with Russia have played in |
| 1:04.1 | post-war Germany. Sir Paul Lever is a former British ambassador to Germany, an author of |
| 1:09.8 | Berlin Rules, Europe and the German way. |
| 1:13.2 | Now, a lot of people think of Germany as being essentially post-war a pacifist country. |
| 1:18.7 | Has that been true? |
| 1:21.0 | No, I don't think it's fair to say that Germany was pacifist. |
| 1:24.7 | I mean, from 1955 onwards, Germany was a loyal member of NATO, and its |
| 1:30.3 | leadership often took decisions which were not popular. I would say Germany was more anti-militarist. |
| 1:37.5 | There's no tradition in Germany of being proud of your nation's armed forces of the kind that we have here. |
| 1:45.4 | There are no events, there are no parades, there are no public manifestations of support for the German armed forces. |
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