Posted on 12/26/2006 4:08:07 PM PST by lizol
Don't you know rude boy knows the most about this topic? Your mere first hand experience makes you suspect and lacking in objectivity.
Germany's federal statistical bureau, has just published Country Profile Iran. According to destatis, Germany's exports to Iran have risen considerably in the last couple of years. Germany now occupies the # 1 spot for Iranian imports.
http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/germany_and_now.html
November 27, 2006 - KABUL: Under pressure within NATO to deploy fighting troops to southern Afghanistan, Berlin intends instead to build a key road to help modernize one of the most turbulent areas, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported on Saturday.
In an interview published Friday, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the calls to send German troops from the relatively calm north to help British, Canadian and Dutch forces fighting insurgents in the south.
Alliance officials say NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is insisting that allies lift national restrictions on how troops can be used and deployed in Afghanistan.
NATO experts say alliance members with troops in Afghanistan have imposed more than 100 caveats - spanning up to 17 pages - on the use and movement of their soldiers.
Germany currently has more than 2,900 military personnel in Afghanistan, the third-largest contingent in ISAF (International Security and Assistance Force). Germany's legislature has authorized the troops to only leave their zone of the deployment in the north and in Kabul in emergencies and for short durations, not permanently.
Popular support for the Taliban is said to have soared in the south because of the failure to bring prosperity in the past five years.
"I feel for everybody who loses their life, whether a soldier or civilian, in Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world. But we will carry on with our job here in the north as we want to avoid exactly what is happening in the south."One of the German soldiers I met in Afghanistan summed up his country's position with a Prussian proverb: you can win a battle with guns, he told me, but you cannot conquer a country by force - for that you need to win hearts and minds.
That is Germany's mission - and one it is determined to see to the end.
German army on Afghan charm offensive http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754980/posts
Well, I leave in a week - but not for northern Afghanistan, where things are quite a bit more settled than in the south. And I consider their help to be pretty darn small compared to their capability. I also consider their help to be smaller than their mouth.
The life of a German soldier isn't cheap - but they take very few risks compared to the Americans or British. This doesn't prevent them from taking cheap shots at those who risk far more, or from their government from acting as though they have the right to call the shots.
Like most in continental Europe, they talk big about Afghanistan but pony up little.
Thank you for your courage and your contribution, even here tonight.
I lived there for two years in the Army in the 70's, vacationed there three times in the 80's, and worked there several weeks in the late 80's and again in the early 90's. I've never, ever, had a German be rude to me, except one VP of Smith International, when I called him a neo Nazi ass.
Perhaps it's just you?
I've not claimed the rudeness was to me, so it wasn't just me.
Folks,
as a German, I want to comment on your discussion. You´re both right. The situation in Afghanistan (North included) is not stable and not calm, the German soldiers on patrol are at risk, as we experience by (attempted) attacks on our soldiers and bases. It is safe to say that in the South real combat has evolved, particulary because the Taliban still get lots of support from Pakistan. But fact is, NATO has divided Afghanistan into zones, and everybody agreed when Germany got the North, and Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and others got the south (with the overall support from the US). I don´t think that crying foul is now justified. And considering today´s capabilities, Germany is doing a whole lot. elhombrelibre, would you rather cause more trouble in North Afghanistan by sending the German contingent to the South? I think that our job is very appreciated - by our allies and the Afghans.
On the other hand, my country is indeed doing not enough compared to what it should. The defense spendings are way too low, the government is not trying hard enough to make the German people ready for the security challenges of our century. Too many Germans believe that war never is an option, which makes it difficult to get the support for missions and raising the defense budget. Well, things are getting better - compared to the former government - but there´s still half of the cabinet socialist and rather pacifist.
So, if I were asked to send the few jets to Afghanistan, I´d say yes. Not because our technology is so good (in fact, the Tornado jets are old-fashioned), but because it´s another proof that NATO is more than having a membership card. Being in NATO must mean something, it requires showing loyalty and giving support to our allies.
Michael
Maybe just the chip on your shoulder, then, and the sense of entitlement . . . to what, I have no idea. But the force is strong in you. LOL
I guess I should be pleased that you're not trying to argue against something I haven't said now. Instead, you've decided on using ad hominem attacks. I've no chip on my shoulder, and I'm not entitled to anything not in the US Constitution. At least Michael recognizes most of what I've said about the German contribution to the common defense, their own defense spending, and their difficulties with too many pacifists in their electorate and government. My point about the rudeness of some Germans toward US service men and women is the same as I'd make about Kerry. There are far too many who have an elitist attitude towards those who serve and protect. You're entitled to a different opinion and to laugh out loud if you'd like.
Please. Your initial contribution to this thread was "It makes no sense for the Gemans to help; it could be dangerous and they're better off benefiting from the sacrifice of others than contributing to war against Islamists terrorists," and I've been responding to it ever since.
Clearly sarcasm. LOL.
Not in the commonly-understood meaning of the term. In fact, my #34 (my immediately previous) can be held as a direct response to your initial "contribution."
You're too weird, dude.
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