"Shut up and kiss me, you fool."
Posted on 09/21/2005 11:39:58 AM PDT by twinself
Moscow is a city that likes men who make history. Angela Merkel has never gotten good press here. Russian observers are hoping Schröder will enjoy a breakthrough -- indeed, some are even hoping the Social Democrats will form a coalition with the Greens and the Left Party/PDS, the successor to East Germany's communists.
Angela Merkel's solid knowledge of Russian gets her few points in Moscow. Even the pro-market paper Wedomosti gives the CDU candidate the thumbs down. Her "low personal popularity," says the paper, reduces her chances of becoming chancellor. To have the "pro-American Merkel" in office, writes the likewise business-friendly Nowije Iswetsija, "would not be comfortable for Russia." What's more, writes Kommersant, Merkel lacks charisma, especially compared to Schröder, who has proven to be "a master of the political game." From the perspective of the Kremlin-friendly Iswestija, Schröder has already proven to have won a "moral victory."
In the Nesawissimaja Gaseta one Germany-savvy commentator regretted that the Social Democrats had made the Left Party out to seem like lepers. Sowjetskaja Rossija, one of Russia's two communist papers, unsurprisingly also wanted to focus on the Left Party. "The most important thing is the astounding success of the leftists," the paper told its readers. The Germans have shown that they're not ready for the "dismantling of the social state" and, therefore, Germany's "big business has been disappointed" by the election.
Even the observers from the business-friendly Nowije Iswetsija concur. "The voters have shown that the majority of Germans are not prepared to reform the economy at the expense of victimizing its population," it writes. "Any government will have to pay attention to that."
Politically interested Russians inevitably watch the German election proceedings with some envy. They see political parties in Germany that operate as independent political organizations that aren't, as in Russia, tied to the current administration, or on the other hand, dependent on financial moguls. But, that doesn't mean they aren't willing to offer up a bit of criticism when it comes to German foreign policy. Moscow's political circles would like to see Germany firmly on the side of the Russians -- as they were when the Iraq war broke out. The German political elite, according to Mikhail Leontyev, a prominent commentator on Russian state-owned television, "unfortunately, have an American complex," and heed them far more than is necessary. Some German politicians can even be called "americanoid," says Leontyev, who has the reputation of saying what Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks.
Leontyev was especially displeased by Merkel's announcement that she doesn't want the "strategic relationship with Russia to come at the expense of the Poles." The relationship between the Russians and the Poles has gotten worse and worse in recent years, especially since the Poles supported the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and since they have begun confronting Moscow-friendly Alexander Lukashenko of Belarussia. Thus, every step towards Poland will be seen in the Kremlin as a step away from Russia. It's no secret, says Leontyev, that Warsaw is closer politically to Washington than it is to Berlin. Merkel, according to this logic, would be afraid of US criticism were she to continue Germany's love affair with Moscow. Schröder, Leontyev believes, is the only one of the two who could pursue and independent course.
So far, though, the tone from Moscow has been one colored by sympathy. Were coalition talks to fail and new elections to become a reality, Krassnaya Svezda wrote in a piece headlined "German Dead-End," then Germany could expect a "long period of instability, economic decline and societal division." In other words, things with which the Russians already have a lot of experience.
If memory serves me, they also alligned themselves with Hitler.
Very interesting article thx for posting.
If language has meaning, then "not" reforming the economy would victimize the population.
every step towards Poland will be seen in the Kremlin as a step away from Russia.
I haven't figured out why Russia is so paranoid toward Poland.
I have figured out that I like Merkel already.
Of course, Moscow would consider Schroeder the victor - he is there man. No one ever makes the distinction that Schroeder and his side-kick are stooges from the former East Germany - sometimes I wonder if Russia won this round of the cold war by voting communism's will upon a former Western Germany. Germany today is run by those who used to run East Germany! And we wonder why the press in Germany today hates America?
This is complete rubbish! Sorry, you'll have to do better than that.
Sorry, all of this is completely incorrect. Please research your facts properly so as not to mislead others.
Oops, sorry, posted twice 'cos my first one seemed to have disappeared.
Correct, from 1939 to 1941. Then Hitler stabbed them in the back and they destroyed the German army and occupied the country. Your point is...?
So is Schroeder a former East German resident?
No. Nor is Fischer or Lafontaine or Westerwelle.
Merkel is a former East German resident, the only prominent politician I can think of off-hand.
Putin definitely speaks fluent German, and I think English too (but I might be wrong on this).
So Merkel's speaking Russian doesn't give her an advantage here. All East German kids had to learn Russian at school. Most West Germans learned English if they went to a good school. But Schröder doesn't speak it, and Kohl even less.
Fischer speaks pretty good English, though, and I remember old Helmut Schmidt talking English on British TV as a kid, through clouds of tobacco smoke...
.. why Russia is so paranoid toward Poland...
A brief study of some history books will quickly reveal the answer why Russia is paranoid about everybody, not just the Poles...
There's a big question whether Russia is paranoid towards Poland or Poland is so paranoid towards Russia.
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