Perfect timing. One day after Russian and Syrian planes bombed a convoy transporting food and medicine into the besieged city of Aleppo, Germany's Economic Affairs and Energy Minister met with Vladimir Putin and held out the promise of lifting economic sanctions. Gabriel has struggled to escape Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s shadow in his bid to challenge her in next year‘s election, wants to build bridges between Russia and Germany. No doubt Gabriel believes his chances of becoming chancellor, and the chances his SPD can win back voters, is to follow the path of the far-left and far right populist parties (the Left Party and the AfD) and calling for "peace and reconciliation" with Russia.
After talks with President Vladimir Putin, Gabriel said the Russian leader had denied any involvement in the attack and was very interested in reestablishing a ceasefire in Syria. How Gabriel could make such a statement with a straight face is a mystery. Russia has only stepped up its relentless bombing of civilians in Syria; Gabriel and Steinmeier have been silent in the face of such barbarism:
“Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war,” said Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counter-terrorism. It is barbarism.” A Sept. 9 cease-fire deal guaranteed by the United States and Russia was smashed a week ago by Russian and Syrian airstrikes on a U.N. aid convoy. Despite frantic diplomacy to get that truce back on track, Sunday’s Security Council meeting suggested that divisions between the two sides were deepening.“Instead of helping get lifesaving aid to civilians, Russia and Assad are bombing the humanitarian convoys, hospitals and first responders who are trying desperately to keep people alive,” Power said.
No doubt Gabriel (and Steinmeier) wants to relive the "Ostpolitik" glory days of Willy Brandt in initiating a new version of "Wandel durch Annäherung" ("change through rapprochement”), which eased tensions with the Soviet Union. But Putin is not Gorbachev and history repeats itself the second time as farce:
Als „Partei der kleinen Leute“ ist die SPD bei den Wählern längst nicht mehr glaubwürdig, als ausgewiesene „Friedenspartei“ glaubt sie jedoch noch reüssieren zu können. Deshalb klammert sie sich an das Trugbild, bei Putins Russland handele es sich im Prinzip noch immer um dasselbe Land wie die dialogbereite Sowjetunion unter Gorbatschow. Führende Kremlkreise warteten dort nur auf aufgeschlossene Partner aus dem Westen, um mit ihnen vernünftige Auswege aus der Konfrontation zu suchen. Dabei schielt die SPD-Führung auch auf das hierzulande weitverbreitete, antiamerikanisch eingefärbte Äquidistanzdenken.
Doch Realitätsverleugnung wird den Niedergang der SPD nicht aufhalten. Es ist Zeit, dass sie sich wieder auf Willy Brandt als entschiedenen Kämpfer gegen totalitäre Gewaltpolitik besinnt, der er als Regierender Bürgermeister von Berlin war. Dass man ihm für diese Haltung das Schmähetikett „Kalter Krieger“ anheftete, nahm Brandt gern in Kauf.
The voters flocking to the AfD are turning their backs on liberal democracy and see Putin's autocracy as an attractive alternative to the "degenerate" west. The SPD is seen as an establishment party – a player in the very system they seek to end.
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David,
You do remember that it was Brezhnev Brandt was dealing with, and not Gorbachev, don’t you? I’d also note that “equidistance” thinking seems to have been replaced with clear alignment with Russia in some quarters.
Gabriel is not the Finance Minister 🙂
I so knew how you would see this meeting 🙂
Thx.
My guess is that Gabriel knows his chances of becoming chancellor are not great and he is angling to join his pal Gerhard Schroeder on the Gazprom Board after the elections.
Maybe the SPD is simply in dire need of money ahead of the next general elections.
With the constant drain on party members, the election campaign funding by default surely is no longer what it used to be 😉