Germany Transformed By Gerald E. Weston
“K
eep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in and the Germans down.” That terse summary of the purpose of the North American Treaty Organization came from Lord Hastings Ismay, the first secretary-general of NATO (“After 77 years in timeout, Germany is crucial to the fascist resistance,” WashingtonPost.com, April 8, 2022). Few today remember Lord Ismay, much less his historical comment, but it is now being revisited some 70 years later in the light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the end of the Cold War—generally considered December 26, 1991—the reason behind NATO was severely tested. More than one United States president called for Germany and other European states to live up to their obligations of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. Recent President Donald Trump went so far as to threaten pulling out of the alliance if they did not do so. After all, why do Americans always have to foot the bill? And why should America care more for Europe’s children than Europe itself does? Vladimir Putin changed that virtually overnight. The alliance, which was losing its purpose and beset
by squabbling, suddenly saw its member states set aside their differences to ensure that Russia stays out. America was no longer inching its way out of Europe’s defense arrangements. And the third part of Lord Ismay’s equation—keeping Germany down—has been lost in the shuffle. After all, Germany has been one of the world’s most stable democracies for more than 70 years. It has a strong and well-ordered economy, has taken a leading role in “saving the world” from climate change, and has shunned military entanglements. Germany today is not the same country that twice invaded its neighbors and plunged the world into two twentieth-century wars. Germans are hardworking, fun-loving, and fiscally responsible. So, what is the problem? After 70 years of good behavior, is Germany not reformed? Can it still not be trusted? Or is there something in the German DNA that needs to be considered? One can only wonder what Lord Ismay or Winston Churchill, who installed Ismay as NATO’s first secretary general, would think today. It is unlikely they would be as naïve as people from the post-war generations appear to be. Perhaps this current generation may be forgiven for not understanding history. That subject was re-
July 2022
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Tomorrow’s World
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