President Joachim Gauck gave opening statements at the January 31, 2014 Munich Security Conference.
“Shake off WWII”
Gauck encouraged Germans to “shake off” the guilt stemming
from WWII and to take more responsibility in international affairs,
specifically international security, challenging citizens not to turn a blind
eye to those who betray universal values.
UN Troops Should Use Force
Walking the rhetorical tightrope, Gauck equally advocated for
UN Troops to have the authorized ability to use force when necessary, but
stated that Germany could never support a solely militant approach to any conflict
resolution. Gauck called the use of force a “necessary last resort”
Eh? Sovereignty, Shomvereignty.
Gauck warned that “brutal regimes must not be allowed to
hide behind the principles of state sovereignty and non-intervention.” Defense Minister
Ursula von der Leyen and President Gauck took a strong stance against human
rights violations stating that Germany will no longer sit on the side lines and
allow crimes against humanity to take place. Leyen stated “To sit and wait is
not an option. If we have means, capabilities, we have the obligation and we
have the responsibility to engage. If we Europeans want to remain a credible
actor in security policy, we must plan and act together.”
Bottom Line
Germany is eager to flex its fiscal and military muscles
regionally and internationally. As the sole pillar of fiscal stability and an unabashed
growing military power, Germany stands to challenge the UKs role in European
security and rhetorically provides a strong ally to the US and France in issues
of state sponsored terrorism and crimes against humanity. Despite the thinly masked collaborative tone,
Germany is prepared to address regional security threats alone and is anxious
to demonstrate its power. The question is, are the German people as ready to
pounce as their government?
Conference Website: https://www.securityconference.de/en/
I like a lot of what Germany is saying here. Although its crimes of WWII should never be forgotten, it seems as though in this era Germany would be a great help to the world both fiscally and militarily. As the strongest economy in Europe, it has already shown its potential for aid by bailing out Greece. As for militant efforts in the UN, I think that violence should only be used as the very last resort, but we've seen in the past that the UN has been too scared to act even after the time for actions of last resort have passed.
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