A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #371 - Spotlight - Militarization in Europe: Germany Accelerates (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Amidst a general acceleration of global militarization, Germany is 
advancing its own laws to strengthen its army, at the expense of its 
population. ---- In Germany, too, war is becoming an increasingly real 
possibility! Since January 1st of this year, men aged 17 to 45 have been 
prohibited from leaving the country for extended periods without express 
authorization from the army. This is one of the consequences of a reform 
of the conscription law, passed surreptitiously last year by the 
Bundestag. This provision is unprecedented in reunified Germany and 
takes us straight back to the Cold War era.

There, too, the voracious bourgeoisie seems increasingly determined to 
make any sacrifice. Germany has already committed to increasing the 
number of its active-duty military personnel from 160,000 to 260,000. 
And while German politicians might prefer to use "volunteers," the law 
already stipulates that compulsory service is a possibility. In reality, 
the very idea of volunteering could be questioned: in a time of 
capitalist crisis and labor market tension, what freedom is there for 
unemployed men and women from the working class?

This new reform must be understood within a broader context. For years, 
the German imperialist strategy, inherited from West Germany[1], has 
been increasingly challenged. Until now, Berlin benefited from the 
neoliberal order established after the war: its security was delegated 
to NATO[2], and its economic prosperity was based on European 
integration and free trade. As a quintessential export-oriented economy, 
Germany has greatly benefited from the accession of Eastern European 
countries, with their less developed economies and ability to supply 
cheap labor, to the EU and the Schengen Area.

It is therefore clear that the recent pronouncements of US President 
Donald Trump have played a significant role in this shift in the 
imperialist strategy of Europe's wealthiest nation. NATO no longer seems 
as robust an institution since the United States decided to refocus on 
its own interests. And while Germany continues to host US nuclear 
missiles, the question of European rearmament remains crucial. This is 
especially true since such rearmament could allow German capitalists to 
maintain good relations with China, their primary trading partner.

And how can we not consider, in parallel, what is happening with our 
major partner, France? Here too, the idea of reinstating compulsory 
military service is gaining traction. When we hear Macron wanting to 
bring back to Africa the French companies that are "hungry," how can we 
not see this as a new foundation for the Franco-German partnership? 
Reviving old plans for a European army could also be a golden 
opportunity to give a boost to struggling economies.

In France, Thales, Safran, and Dassault are already anticipating the 
demands of warmongers and are recruiting heavily. The Germans, not 
wanting to be left behind, are taking the same path: Volkswagen has 
announced its intention to resume arms production. They have already 
begun negotiations with an Israeli company to transform their Osnabrück 
plant (no longer profitable enough) into a manufacturer of anti-aircraft 
defenses.

UCL Alsace

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[1]Federal Republic of Germany, formerly West Germany.

[2]North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a US military alliance.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Militarisation-en-Europe-l-Allemagne-accelere
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