German historians wrote a letter to Scholz about mistakes in relations with Putin

7 months ago
17

German historians wrote a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz about mistakes in relations with Putin. Bild tabloid got the collective appeal.
It was signed by scientists who, like Olaf Scholz himself, are members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Heinrich August Winkler, Martina Winkler, Dirk Schumann, Gabriele Lingelbach and Jan K. Behrends are among them. Their main theses are:
"We are watching with growing concern the positioning of the Social Democratic Party regarding Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine," historians write. “Arguments and justifications are increasingly arbitrary, erratic and often factually incorrect.”
"Coordination with allies is insufficient in Germany, Putin will regard this only as a call to action."
Scientists consider it "useless" to explain "what Germany definitely will not do regarding supporting Ukraine."
"When the Chancellor and party leaders draw red lines not for Russia, but only for German politics, they significantly weaken German security policy and play into Russia's hands."
Historians believe that the Social Democratic Party is prone to "extremely dangerous denial of reality." Putin will end the war only “if he is confronted with sufficient force.”
The Social Democratic Party has not yet understood this, the authors believe.
"Inside the Social Democratic Party, there is no honest analysis of the mistakes of Russian policy in recent decades," they write, pointing to the lack of investigation of "the links of various comrades with Russian interests and erroneous energy policy," which led Germany "to fatal dependence on Moscow."
Recall after stalling for months, Scholz rejected Ukraine’s request for Germany’s long-range Taurus missile system. The decision reflects Scholz’s political sensitivities and an overarching German concern about escalating the conflict with Russia.

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