German opposition leader calls for security union with Russia, dissolution of NATO [Die Linke]

Deutsche Welle ^ | 01.17.2017 | Lewis Sanders IV

[Olog-hai]

Also seems to me that they were heavily invested in Hillary too, even to the point of using her to yank US sovereignty out from under us. Obama gave them lots of advantage insofar as undermining US power on the world scene, and the continuation of that would have meant that their path “forward” was far smoother.

[RedWulf]

>An attachment of Germany to Russia, combined with China, would be the ultimate strategic catastrophe for America.

Ultimate strategic catastrophe for the American land empire you mean. Personally I think the American empire is more of a drain on this country than it’s worth. I have no problem with letting it go.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Russia only returns to great economic power status by restoring thier indrusty base.

This is true, but I haven't seen any serious push by Putin in this direction. Russia got rich with oil revenue. I can see super wealthy Russian oligarchs. I can see Putin trying to rebuilding old Russian empire. I haven't seen any Russian initiative of large-scale industrial development other than natural resources extraction and arms industry.

[aquila48]

Making the mistake once can be forgiven, but twice?

Remember Obama got reelected.

[DoughtyOne]

I agree, but you didn’t vote for him.

I’m saddled with the same problem in California. Californians don’t deserve to be screwed the way they are. Neither did the U.S citizens by Obama.

Are citizens really voting in these leaders in California? I don’t know.

We just had four million more votes for Hillary in California. How many of those were illegals or illegal votes?

I honestly don’t know, but I have my suspicions.

[nathanbedford]

To understand this situation we must not forget the Iraq war. The opposition to that war was virtually unanimous here in Germany and the intermediate quagmire between the initial rush to Baghdad and the final push that actually won the war was the beginning and end of the story for the Germans. They simply do not get that the war was won at the end of the Bush administration but thrown away by Obama.

Their feeling is that Bush was an idiot, Trump is in his mold, typical of Republicans, the Iraq war confirms every prejudice they ever held and Trump is sure to replay the follies of Bush. Meanwhile, Obama was sensible and they do not sense that his dithering and miscalculations have placed them or the world in jeopardy. They blame the Iraq war for all the turmoil.

They are slow to recognize the danger posed by China and they certainly do not want any war anywhere under any circumstances. That is, in effect, their foreign policy so Obama, not Bush and not Trump, implements that policy.

We might reflected that much of this is the product of one-sided media which unrelatedly presents the leftist view of the world of American imperialism, the evil CIA, the Satanic Dick Cheney, the bumbling, unintelligent George Bush and the noble Barack Obama.

By way of example, for many Germans the exposure of the VW diesel exhaust fraud was a conspiracy, a plot by Americans to attack VW imports. The idea that the world economy and especially Wall Street is run by American Jews is very prevalent here. Therefore, any move by America to police the world and save it from a modern version of the Barbary pirates, is seen as economic imperialism manifested in war. They are even more likely than Trump supporters to rationalize Vladimir Putin's aggressions.

I am not sure that Trump's blunt speaking is the correct approach, but certainly something different has to be tried.

[RedWulf]

>This is true, but I haven’t seen any serious push by Putin in this direction. Russia got rich with oil revenue. I can see super wealthy Russian oligarchs. I can see Putin trying to rebuilding old Russian empire. I haven’t seen any Russian initiative of large-scale industrial development other than natural resources extraction and arms industry.

I’m not an expert on it, but i think a lot of that oil money was spent infastructure along with it being stolen.

Rebuilding the Russian empire us pointless as long as Russia can’t afford that empire. Despite liberal talking points almost every multi-cultural empire in history has been a net drain on resources. Even grabbing the Crimea has been a huge drain on Moscow which is a major factor in why Russia didn’t take the rest of the Ukraine.

[Disestablishmentarian]

This would not be a surprising development. Germany and Russia have been inching closer for many years.

Should the two actually form a security alliance it would be extremely formidable. Definitely back in the superpower game.

[SolidWood]

Duh. Beslan - just like 99.99% of jihadi terror attacks are done by Saudi-sponsored Sunni terrorists... the arch enemy of Iran.

As Russia is largely hostile to the strategic aims of Sunni Turkey and Sunni Saudis, working together with Iran is for Russia only logical. The Chechen terrorists were funded largely by Saudis.

And no... Iran won’t lob nukes into Russia or the US. This anti-Iran hyperbole and hysteria is getting ridiculous... while a blind eye is being turned to the real terrorist menace of Sunni jihadism.

[DoughtyOne]

You’ve made a good case. I’m still not buying it.

Iran is a rogue nation.

Saudi Arabia may be as bad as you say, and coupled with Turkey even worse.

That doesn’t mean Iran is of no concern.

The Middle East is not comfortable with Iran getting the bomb.

I don’t want to see a time when Iran can coerce the nations in the region to do what it wants or else.

Iran will in short order have ballistic missiles that can hit Europe. I think they can already hit parts of it.

Not good.

[DoughtyOne]

Additional:

Iran vs Israel bluster:

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=iran+threatens+israel&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=

[Krosan]

Die Linke is German commies. They have always been anti-American and pro-Russia. They hold about 10% of the seats.

[Olog-hai]

Way too many.

[flaglady47]

“This would not be a surprising development. Germany and Russia have been inching closer for many years.
Should the two actually form a security alliance it would be extremely formidable. Definitely back in the superpower game.”

They tried that once before. Just ask Hitler and Stalin how that alliance turned out.

[Olog-hai]

Thanks so much for endorsing Obama’s JCPOA.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

In American Communism history, Alfred Wagenknecht is a legendary organizer working out of Chicago for the CP of Illinois, among other jobs. Communist Party buddied in the late 30’s/early 40’s with Soviet asset Henry Canter (CPUSA), a Soviet unregistered propaganda operative, and father of id. CPUSA member and Chicago political organizer, David Simon Canter, who was said by his son Marc to have “known” Obama.

Chicago was one of the key CPUSA/Soviet hubs of infiltration and subversion in the US because of its central transportation location and grungy industries, esp. the Meatpacking slaughter houses which the CP eventually controlled.

[Axenolith]

If they Russians are trying to work the long game they’ve got to do something to even out the numbers between them and their only true continental adversary which would be China.

That the Chinese would waste a significant amount of blood and treasure over archipelago properties when they have an area that’s equal to their size to the north and west that’s essentially unpopulated by their standards seems irrational. They have more single fighting age males who have zero chance of ever landing a member of the opposite sex (due to 1 child) than the entire population of Russia. The only real question is how to acquire that territory without a heavy nuclear exchange.

Russia probably sees strategically positive value in nuclear armed Islamic states as a buffer to China, along with the added manpower being tied to a state like Germany would bring if they ended up having to project much of their land forces to the Far East.

Focus on the west, aside from it as a Cold War and WWII grudge carryover, doesn’t make much sense from a logical standpoint, but then again, we are dealing with people...

[Axenolith]

They tried that deal about 78 years ago didn’t they?

[DoughtyOne]

I agree with your comments.

People... true isn’t it.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Germany allied with Russia? Too much left over from two world wars and the Cold War. Maybe in two generations or so.