In Germany, ‘Orphaned’ by U.S., Shock Gives Way to ActionNo country in Europe is as much a product of enlightened postwar American diplomacy. Now adrift, it has begun to reckon with a new world.

New York Times ^ | March 21, 2025 | Steven Erlanger

[Cronos]

...Germany, perhaps more than any other country in Europe, feels adrift, orphaned and even betrayed by its closest ally. But if Germans have been pushed out of the nest, they are also beginning to respond, amid deep soul searching and questioning about the future — both their own and Europe’s.

The biggest indication that shock is giving way to action came this week, as the German Parliament voted to loosen the country’s long aversion to debt so that it could begin rebuilding a military and a domestic infrastructure that had fallen into neglect.

It was a groundbreaking step, given taboos about German militarism. Still, it is one that Germans and other Europeans know they must take to adapt to new hostility coming from both Russia and the United States.

Joschka Fischer, a former foreign minister, radical leftist in his younger days and now a Green party stalwart, said, “I always had a complicated relationship with the United States, which was far from perfect, but the U.S. was always the shining city on the hill.”

“But now,” he said, “we’ve lost not only the power that protected us, but also the guiding star in the sky.”

Europe must rearm in response, he said. German leadership is essential to do that, though many on the continent are still insistent that Europeans must, as Mr. Fischer put it, “continue with our close alliance with the U.S., while becoming as strong as possible to deter Russia.”

..“There’s no other country in Europe that is as much a product of enlightened postwar American policy as Germany,” said Mr. Bagger, born in 1965. “So the shock is deeper here.”

[Cronos]

...There is a quieter worry about the European balance of power. The U.S. engagement in Europe was an important balm to anxieties about the power of a reunited Germany, and those anxieties may return, said Jan Techau, a German former defense official and an analyst at the Eurasia Group.

“The question of who was the big boy in Europe was answered by the U.S.,” he said. “But what happens when the U.S. retreats and the question of the European hegemon raises up again? It will make European politics much more complicated.”

“There’s no real way to replace the U.S., despite all the European talk,” he said.

[Cronos]

[AnotherUnixGeek]

A lot of words to say “wait, Uncle Sugar isn’t going to be taking care of us anymore?”

[alternatives?]

Germany just blew up their newest coal processing plan.

[Flavious_Maximus]

Without the USA, the EuroTrash will be at each others throat. It’s who they are and what they do. They are blood thirsty savages who love war and conquest.

[oblomov]

They refuse to see how they have departed from the defense of freedom, and have reverted into a typically German technocratic corporatism that seeks to actively reshape German society.

[aynrandfreak]

This is part of what I voted for!

[Who is John Galt?]

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

Prepare to defend yourselves.

With less christianity than 1936, this is going to be uglier.

[jcon40]

What a typically pathetic article from the NYT pointing out the failures of leftist policies in Germany while pretending to understand everything from a higher point of view.

The NYT almost sounds, like Gavin Newsom, now, suddenly becoming enlightened on his own stupidity, and now lecturing others on his new wisdom.

STFU - NYT

[L,TOWM]

Looks like Albania is gearing up to take out Greece...

[ZOOKER]

...the German Parliament voted to loosen the country’s long aversion to debt so that it could begin rebuilding a military and a domestic infrastructure that had fallen into neglect.

That statement sends chills all up and down my spine...

[mund1011]

Germany just blew up their newest coal processing plan.

+++++++++

This proves liberalism is a serious mental disorder. I often draw parallels between the stupidity of Germany and California. Germany is trying to take first place in the race to the bottom.

[Waverunner]

Yes , the Greeeks are especially worried about the new Albanian stealth drones, although often times the bleating gives them away.

[Red6]

Joschka Fischer, the green clown.

During the Cold War, when the Soviets and Warsaw Pact had >30,000 armored vehicles along the iron curtain ready to roll, the Soviet Union had over 3,000,000 men in uniform as part of their perminent peacetime military, were dedicating between 12 - 17% of their GDP on their war machine annually, and had over 45,000 nuclear warheads of various sizes in their arsenal...

In those days, that asshole wanted to shut down training areas, ban nukes on German soil, cancel major exercises, and talked about how Germany didn’t need conscription, and protested anywhere possible against NATO, the US military, etc.

NOW, when Russia stands alone and NATO outnumbers the Russian military alliance by 6:1 and out spends them 10:1, Russia spends about 4% GDP on war (before the war), has about 1.4 million in their armed forces (before the war), has about 5,000 nuclear warheads of various sizes, he’s the guy that shoots his mouth off about needing to militarized!

You can’t make this stuff up!!!

[pburiak]

Have they contracted with Hugo Boss for an order of several hundred thousand snazzy new uniforms?

[desertsolitaire]

And yet, despite that Germany must be aware of the looming need for electricity to power A.I., Germany also just physically blasted and destroyed its most modern, 6-yr old coal electric generating plant. Supposedly to show the world that they are committed to green energy only no matter what.
Which is it?

[Jan_Sobieski]

Islam is winning in Europe. It has become the religion on choice. America needs to focus on rooting it out of America.

[packagingguy]

“pushed out of the nest“

If a bird doesn’t push its chicks out of the nest the chicks will never fly or learn to find food.

This isn’t rocket science.

[L,TOWM]

Well, I’m sure the Greeks’ new Wolfe autonomous Anti-Drone units will give them some hope...