Here's an interesting conundrum to keep an eye on - the US just asked Germany to take in 15 Chinese prisoners from Guantantamo Bay, because upon their return to China they might be executed. They're Uighurs from the Muslim region of Xinjiang in China's northwest who had been detained in 2002. Since Germany has been one of the most vocal critics of American policy and Merkel the only Western leader to openly call for the closing of Guantanamo this might be a reasonable favor to ask. Especially since there's some Uighurs living in Bavaria somewhere, so the 15 released Guantanamo Bay inmates could stay within that community. Now Germany's balking, because it does not want to put strains on its relations with China and fears accepting the Uighurs would be seen in Beijing as a hostile act. Sure this just proves the role of morals in politics once more, but the real point here might be the question, that while insisting on being a lapdog nation one shouldn't choose the masters a bit more wisely.
In May Chancellor Merkel will return to D.C. for another visit.
1 comment:
Yes indeed this was a commentary on the story in the Washington Post that is linked in the post. I didn't quite get your point, but obviously mine got lost too, so once more - I thought it was very funny, that Germany after being the most vocal of the critics of America refused to follow her words with action, when called upon. Which was probably just smart tactical move by the US, but a funny one nonetheless.
About that Iraq War on the other hand - starting a major war without the slightest regard for geopolitical realities in the theater of war, without even listening to your own military who pointed out the tactical mistakes from the get go and creating a legal framework for the disregards of the very rights this war's ideological reasoning supposedly promotes won't get you any brownie points in history. So don't you come crying that nobody likes the mess you made.
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