A Brief Lesson In History For Chancellor Scholz

by Gennady Shkliarevsky

Thunders from the recent political storm in Munich continue to roll through the pages of world media.  The address by Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference has infuriated globalists in Europe and the United States.  In his speech Vance issued a stern warning to European leaders.  In part, he said:  “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China.  It’s not any other external actor.”  He charged that the Eurocrats were retreating from some of the most fundamental values revered in America as a way of protecting their domination of Europe and beyond.

Vance has good reasons for making such accusations.  He cited, for example, European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who said last January that if the right-wing German AfD party were to win elections in Germany, the results could go the way of Romania.  Breton’s words were an undisguised threat.  In violation of the existing Romanian laws, the Constitutional Court of Romania decided the outcome of the last presidential elections by annulling the votes of the electorate.  In Moldova, only electoral manipulations have saved the tottering regime of President Sandu from a defeat in the last presidential elections.  The globalist clique that organized the Munich conference banned lawmakers representing populist parties on both the left and the right.

The most notorious example of undemocratic behavior comes from Ukraine.  Volodimir Zelensky, a darling of Eurocrats, refuses to hold presidential elections to keep his regime in power.  He bans opposition parties and leaders.  In the most recent move, the Council of National Security and Defense under Zelensky issued interminable sanctions against  Petro Poroshenko, a former president of Ukraine, a member of the Ukrainian legislature, and the leader of the European Solidarity party.  The explanation for sanctions cited threats to national security, territorial integrity, and the economy of Ukraine.  Poroshenko called sanctions unconstitutional and politically motivated.  In Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union, EU commissars have issued a warning to Europeans that they intend to shut down social media during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what they judged to be “hateful speech.”  These are just some of the many facts that raise concerns on the American side.

Vance’s address has caused a veritable tumult among Eurocrats who have condemned the address by calling it an irresponsible interference in the internal affairs of European countries.  Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, is perhaps the loudest voice among the detractors.  In his response, he rebuked Vance by calling him an “outsider intervening in our democracy.”  He claimed that the alleged instances of the suppression of free speech are perfectly in line with the German commitment to prevent the resurgence of National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany.  He criticized both Vance and Elon Musk for comparing actions of European leaders to authoritarian regimes and called their accusations “disgusting” and “unacceptable.”

One can perfectly understand the rancor of responses from Scholz and other German leaders.  Their position inside Germany is shaky.  The coalition of Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union will have to defend themselves against growing opposition in the upcoming elections that are to take place on February 23.  They face stiff competition from challengers, including the AfD.  However, the political competition cannot excuse their unacceptable responses to criticisms of their actions.

The use of the Nazi past by German and other European leaders to justify their anti-democratic policies is unsupportable.  As history shows, the Nazi regime engaged in systematic suppression of the opposition voices under the pretext of fighting communist threat. There is little difference between the suppression of the opposition in Nazi Germany and similar policies of the current leaders under the pretext of fighting against the Russian threat.  It is worth reminding NATO leaders that they bear much of the blame for the current situation in Europe.  Just like Nazi Germany that sought to establish its domination well beyond the borders of Germany and Europe, NATO also seeks to expand its domination over the world.

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Gennady Shkliarevsky is a professor of history Emeritus from Bard College.

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