A-Infos (en) Italy, FAS, Sicilia Libertaria #461 - German Rearmament and the Winds of War (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The war, which officially began on February 24, 2022, with the Russian 
Federation's aggression against Ukraine, but was triggered as far back 
as 2014 with the Maidan coup, triggered European rearmament, and 
especially German rearmament. Before 2022, the German economy was 
closely linked to the Russian one in terms of energy supplies. Through 
the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the German locomotive was supplied with 
low-cost energy, which acted as a driving force for the entire German 
economy, enabling the exponential development of the entire industrial 
sector, especially the automotive sector. The disruption of the Nord 
Stream pipeline caused by explosives planted by Ukrainian saboteurs in 
September 2022 halted the flow of gas from the Baltics, marking the 
beginning of a momentous change for a country that, for decades, built 
its industrial power on low-cost Russian energy. The German leadership's 
current goal is to diversify energy sources, focusing on American LNG 
and "allied" suppliers, at a price that can be up to three times higher 
than the Russian supplier.

But the disconcerting thing is that Germany is promising to permanently 
prevent the rebirth of the Nord Stream pipeline. This strategic choice 
reinforces dependence on America and weakens industrial Europe.

The United States thus becomes the main supplier of liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) to Europe, imposing contracts at prices much higher than those 
for Russian gas.

The definitive end of Nord Stream represents a severe blow to European 
energy sovereignty and a strategic gift to the United States, which has 
long been pushing the EU to abandon its energy dependence on Moscow. 
Obviously, behind these official decisions lies a broader geopolitical 
issue. By flaunting the paradigm of "energy freedom," Europe is paying a 
much higher price for energy, consuming less and weakening its industry. 
The German government's decisions affect all of Europe.

Germany is the industrial driving force of the European Union, and its 
decisions are reflected throughout the continent. With Nord Stream 
definitively closed, Italy, France, and other EU countries must 
completely rethink their energy strategy.

The risk? An increasingly weak Europe, dependent on external suppliers 
and in conflict with its own economic interests.

It is in the interests of North American imperialism to sabotage the 
flow of energy materials and block trade in order to push the countries 
of old Europe away from Russia. It is clear that the United States has 
every interest in reshaping international relations to establish itself 
as the dominant global power, even by triggering a new global conflict. 
The concrete conditions are being created for a direct armed conflict 
between the US-led imperialist bloc and Russian imperialism.

In this dramatic context, the strategic choice of German rearmament fits 
in, to boost a weakened economy. The new German Chancellor, Friedrich 
Merz, has launched Germany's rearmament in grand style, which has 
inevitably been followed by the rearmament of the entire EU.

Germany is rearming and preparing for future war, and is doing so by 
amending the Federal Constitution, overcoming the "debt brake" rule that 
since 2009 had obliged Germany to balance its budget, allowing unlimited 
military spending.

The German government has budgeted over EUR900 billion for weapons and 
infrastructure. The estimated sum is enormous, equivalent to double the 
annual federal budget even for Europe's largest economy. Lacking this 
liquidity, the German government will have to resort to extraordinary 
loans. The plan calls for a radical restructuring of the Bundeswehr, the 
German armed forces. A momentous change is underway: after the Second 
World War, in the wake of the war that broke out in 2022, Berlin has 
chosen to rearm for the first time.

Merz has promised to transform the German armed forces into "Europe's 
strongest conventional army," to return to military power, a decision 
that breaks a historical taboo and calls into question the European 
order as we knew it after the Second World War. Germany will become the 
world's third-largest military spending power, after the US and China.

First, by supporting Kiev with massive arms deliveries, now, with 
radical rearmament, war tensions are being kept high in the Old 
Continent, a deep rift is being forged with the Russian Federation, with 
the winds of war ever closer.

The new German rearmament has a dangerous precedent in the 1930s, after 
the Nazi Party seized power. German Rearmament and the Winds of War

The war, which officially began on February 24, 2022, with the Russian 
Federation's aggression against Ukraine, but was triggered as far back 
as 2014 with the Maidan coup, triggered European rearmament, and 
especially German rearmament. Before 2022, the German economy was 
closely linked to the Russian one in terms of energy supplies. Through 
the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the German locomotive was supplied with 
low-cost energy, which acted as a driving force for the entire German 
economy, enabling the exponential development of the entire industrial 
sector, especially the automotive sector. The disruption of the Nord 
Stream pipeline caused by explosives planted by Ukrainian saboteurs in 
September 2022 halted the flow of gas from the Baltics, marking the 
beginning of a momentous change for a country that, for decades, built 
its industrial power on low-cost Russian energy. The German leadership's 
current goal is to diversify energy sources, focusing on American LNG 
and "allied" suppliers, at a price that can be up to three times higher 
than the Russian supplier.

But the disconcerting thing is that Germany is promising to permanently 
prevent the rebirth of the Nord Stream pipeline. This strategic choice 
reinforces dependence on America and weakens industrial Europe.

The United States thus becomes the main supplier of liquefied natural 
gas (LNG) to Europe, imposing contracts at prices much higher than those 
for Russian gas.

The definitive end of Nord Stream represents a severe blow to European 
energy sovereignty and a strategic gift to the United States, which has 
long been pushing the EU to abandon its energy dependence on Moscow. 
Obviously, behind these official decisions lies a broader geopolitical 
issue. By flaunting the paradigm of "energy freedom," Europe is paying a 
much higher price for energy, consuming less and weakening its industry. 
The German government's decisions affect all of Europe.

Germany is the industrial driving force of the European Union, and its 
decisions are reflected throughout the continent. With Nord Stream 
definitively closed, Italy, France, and other EU countries must 
completely rethink their energy strategy.

The risk? An increasingly weak Europe, dependent on external suppliers 
and in conflict with its own economic interests.

It is in the interests of North American imperialism to sabotage the 
flow of energy materials and block trade in order to push the countries 
of old Europe away from Russia. It is clear that the United States has 
every interest in reshaping international relations to establish itself 
as the dominant global power, even by triggering a new global conflict. 
The concrete conditions are being created for a direct armed conflict 
between the US-led imperialist bloc and Russian imperialism.

In this dramatic context, the strategic choice of German rearmament fits 
in, to boost a weakened economy. The new German Chancellor, Friedrich 
Merz, has launched Germany's rearmament in grand style, which has 
inevitably been followed by the rearmament of the entire EU.

Germany is rearming and preparing for future war, and is doing so by 
amending the Federal Constitution, overcoming the "debt brake" rule that 
since 2009 had obliged Germany to balance its budget, allowing unlimited 
military spending.

The German government has budgeted over EUR900 billion for weapons and 
infrastructure. The estimated sum is enormous, equivalent to double the 
annual federal budget even for Europe's largest economy. Lacking this 
liquidity, the German government will have to resort to extraordinary 
loans. The plan calls for a radical restructuring of the Bundeswehr, the 
German armed forces. A momentous change is underway: after the Second 
World War, in the wake of the war that broke out in 2022, Berlin has 
chosen to rearm for the first time.

Merz has promised to transform the German armed forces into "Europe's 
strongest conventional army," to return to military power, a decision 
that breaks a historical taboo and calls into question the European 
order as we knew it after the Second World War. Germany will become the 
world's third-largest military spending power, after the US and China.

First, by supporting Kiev with massive arms deliveries, now, with 
radical rearmament, war tensions are being kept high in the Old 
Continent, a deep rift is being forged with the Russian Federation, with 
the winds of war ever closer.

The new German rearmament has a dangerous precedent in the 1930s, after 
the Nazi Party seized power. The Nazi army was largely equipped with 
equipment supplied by "democratic" capital, and many German military 
vehicles and tanks were powered by gasoline supplied by "democratic" oil 
companies.

In the era of modern capitalism, wars, such as the Second World War or 
those currently underway in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, are not 
waged because of a clash between the "barbarity of totalitarianism" and 
"democracy." Instead, military conflict is generated by the clash 
between the various factions of global capital, regardless of that 
capital's ownership structure.

Renato Franzitta

https://www.sicilialibertaria.it/
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