Russian aggression and US isolationism push a once hesitant Germany to invest heavily in defence.

This article is about Germany rapidly increasing defence spending, and also the fact that they’re considering conscription. I also found this interesting:

A recent YouGov poll showed that 79% of Germans still see Vladimir Putin as “very” or “quite” dangerous to European peace and security. Now 74% said the same for Donald Trump.

Thoughts?

  • Ooops@feddit.orgEnglish
    12·
    3 days ago

    Correct. They have ruled that Germany is not taking part in it. Because 91% of the deliveries to Israel for years consist of ships, anti-air and torpedos for their submarines (while the remaining stuff is armor, armored glass, protective gear -funny how helmets are a joke when delivered to Ukraine but a weapon to genocide Palestinians when they are going to Israel, isn’t it?- etc and in fact all “weapons” that are potentially to be used in Gaza were in fact reduced to zero.

    Yet the narrative is important and so you will always return to “Germany being a big supplier for Israel”, constantly ignoring that we know what they actually supplied. And will twist my words as somehow being an argument against a genocide happening, when I did explicitly talk about the fact that Germany is supporting that genocide.

    If you are so keen on “factual reasons” please tell me were my facts are wrong or how Israel is dropping corvettes on Gaza. (Yes that phrasing is polemic to make a point. You are free to do the same, if you actually have a point beyond I don’t want to acknowledge what doesn’t fit my narrative.

    • FarraigePlaisteach@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      I hear you. You want to focus on the specifics of the military supplies. But it’s important to recognize that Germany’s involvement in providing any military support to Israel is complicit in the larger picture. The claim that the supplies are defensive or not used in Gaza doesn’t fully address the larger strategic implications. Even if the gear isn’t directly deployed in Gaza it strengthens Israel’s overall military posture. This allows Israel to maintain control and continue actions that are widely criticized as genocidal. Germany’s role in enabling this, regardless of the specifics of the arms delivered, cannot be dismissed simply because of the type of equipment supplied.

      As for your point on “genocide” and the use of certain terms, I think we can agree that the international community is divided on how to define this, but it’s clear that any form of ongoing violence against mostly women and children, whether using specific types of weapons or not, plays into a larger cycle of harm. Instead of focusing on the specific classification of military equipment, it’s more sincere to consider the broader implications of Germany’s support for Israel’s actions, especially when it’s involvement is a key part of sustaining that military capacity.

      • Ooops@feddit.orgEnglish
        1·
        6 hours ago

        You want to focus on the specifics of the military supplies.

        No, I want people to use their brains again. And leave that bullshit reality behind were everything is about narratives over actual facts and arguments and every conflict is a fucking teamsport with the goal to scream your side’s narrative the loudest.

        I would love to criticise Israel’s genocidal settler policies and their even worse actions in Gaza right now, but without fucking antisemites loudly agreeing how Israel needs to be destroyed while some neonazis (of all possible “allies” of Israel) insult me as a supporter of muslim extremist terrorists.

        I would love to criticise Hamas attacks on Israel without being lextured by some mentally unstable leftists about how there was no attack but only an act of self-defense (preferably on stage with well-ducumented antisemites), or criticise the morons cheering and distributing candy on the streets in Germany when those attacks happened without some room-temperature IQ nazi agreeing because that scum should be deported anyway.

        I would love to discuss Germany’s actual support of Israel and the implications objectively. I would love to talk about dual-use stuff like com equipment or spare parts for motors and how they should not be delivered at all while missiles to shoot down drones are a completely different thing… but I won’t do so with people screaming about anti-air frigattes (for a country actually actively attacked by neighbours) being support for a Palestinian genocide; neither will I discuss this with people that pretend that this pseudo-fascist club of fanatics in Israel’s government is sane…

        In short: I would love to in fact not focus on any one aspect, because there are a lot of factors in a complex situation. And most certainly there is no black and white. But at the moment both sides are mostly insane, and even the ones seeming somewhat sane happily stand beside extremist morons if those happen to sing the correct “team song” at that moment. And so I will keep disrupting both side’s narratives -that exactly lead nowhere ever- with details that don’t fit the story, because we need to leave those stories (and the tribal sentiments) behind.

        • FarraigePlaisteach@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          5 hours ago

          You say you want nuance, yet your language is anything but. Criticising genocide and state violence isn’t tribalism. It’s recognising power asymmetry. When you deny that asymmetry, you support the oppressor by default.

          Dual-use tech and military platforms do enable broader operations, including blockade and control. Acknowledging that isn’t a team sport. It’s responsibility. Claiming you are effectively censored because of other extremists is performative centrism.