The German chancellor Merkel has some fundamental problems because of that. Nevertheless Afghanistan is seen much more as a nessecary operation against Al Quaida after 9/11 among my compatriots while there is and was never any understanding for the war in Iraq. Only very few people -like me- in Germany are in favour of it and practically nobody believes into the official justification of the US administration. If German troops would get into real trouble in Lebanon or Afghanistan it could turn out difficult to hold them there (just like in Spain) since the vast majority of the German people do not want to be involved into any warfare since the original reason -elimination of Al Quaida- is not the biggest problem there anymore. This is the reason why Mrs. Merkel keeps her troops under sharp restrictions in Afghanistan and i.e. took over only the maritime role of the Lebanon engagement. BTW - this restrictive course was quite successfull so far, since therefore German troops are much more respected and liked in northern Afghanistan than the western troops in the south. The Germsn sectors are still under control and quiet.
A broad disaffection that was not shown in the polls. That comment is simply a manipulation. The aim of the attack was to frighten the Spanish population to avoid Aznar being reelected, not to "release a wave of broad dissaffection" previously hidden. That is mockery to the victims that show what is your moral position before killings in neighbouring countries that remove obstacles to the achievement of your plan of uniting Europe.
There was a poll from the European Union in 2003 with the following question and results:
Is the Iraq war justified?
Greece 96% no.
Austria 86% no.
France 81% no.
Spain 79% no.
Luxemburg/Belgium 75% no
Germany 72% no
UK 51% no.
Source: http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb5/frieden/regionen/Irak/eu-umfrage.html
It is not since ETA is based in France, and the French government of Chirac and other governments such the German, British and Italian obtained a great advantage from 3/11.
Great advantage? Oh my God. Nobody had any advantage from 9/11. Not even Al Quaida. Simply try to ask their dead leaders. We Germans lost quite a few of your compartiots in those goddamm towers, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Due to the controversial political points of view between the last German gouvernment and the US administration concerning Iraq the trans-atlantic relationship got some fundamental damage.
Atlantic Bridge, I don't want to think that you might in some way justify killings in order to removing obstacles in your plan of uniting Europe. I haven't freely brought the past into the discussion before and with all respect and just pointing out a fact, check that such stance would be close to the one Germans had in 1939.
"BuHuuuu! Bad bad nazi." Somehow I am fed up with this primitive argumentation. Instead of being a sissy whiner you should rather build up logical lines of argument. I never justified any killings. This is nonsense. I simply said that it does not matter who was the trigger of those terrorplots in concern of the election Mr. Aznar lost. If 79% of his compatriots did not see his war justified, he was in some deep trouble then.