Munich Conference

From the Stars and Stripes:

"European defense, trans-Atlantic relations key at Munich Security Conference"

The Munich Security Conference kicked off Friday with Germany’s president calling out his country for not doing enough to confront global threats, saying 70-year-old guilt over World War II should not be used as a “shield for laziness.” “Are we doing what we can to stabilize our neighborhood? In the east and in Africa? Are we willing to bear our fair share of the risk?” asked German Federal President Joachim Gauck. “Germany must be ready to do more to guarantee the security others have provided it with for decades.” “Restraint can thus be taken too far,” he said. And so began the 50th Munich Security Conference, where heads of state and numerous defense ministers are taking part in three days of talks on a range of security challenges. Expected to dominate the agenda are the civil war in Syria, Iran’s nuclear program and the political upheaval in Ukraine. Cybersecurity, privacy and surveillance also are issues to be examined. Still, the trans-Atlantic relationship and the role of Europe in the face of instability and the growth of regionalized terror groups in Africa and the Middle East remain prime areas of focus. Relations between the U.S. and its European allies have been strained recently following revelations of U.S. spying, most notably allegations the U.S. hacked the cell phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Part of Friday afternoon’s opening sessions was spent on “rebooting trust” between the U.S. and allies over the leaks from National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Gauck said it is right for allies to call attention to disagreements with the U.S. over spying, but also called out allies for an underinvestment in their own intelligence-gathering capabilities that has created an overreliance on the U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he recognized trust concerns over the NSA, though he chided Europeans for not zeroing in on what he considered the main threats associated with cybersecurity, such as spying and cyberattacks from China and Iran. Gauck said Germany should not as a rule oppose interventions, but added it would never support any purely military solution, and any deployment of troops would have to coincide with diplomacy. Germany contributes more than 3,000 troops to the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan. However, for the U.S. and other allies, Germany’s reluctance to engage in NATO operations, such as the 2011 air campaign in Libya, has been a sore spot. U.S. officials, including former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, also have scolded Europe for underinvesting in defense. On Saturday, Europe’s role in security operations and the trans-Atlantic relationship will be examined in panel discussions that will include Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

 

^ I agree that Germany (and other countries around the world) need to stop talking about doing things and start doing them. I understand that Germany is nervous about being compared to its Nazi and East German past (East Germany sent troops with the Warsaw Pact to Czechoslovakia in 1968.) The difference between Nazi Germany/East Germany and modern-day Germany is that in today's Germany there is the European Union and US oversight. As long as Germany doesn't open any sort of camps (labor, concentration or death) then I don't see an issue with the country taking more of an international stance. There are many other countries (ie UK, Canada, etc) that need to do a lot more around the world. The US is always called the "world' police" because we tend to go to places that need to be helped while the majority of other countries merely debate and talk and do nothing else. ^

 

 

 

http://www.stripes.com/european-defense-trans-atlantic-relations-key-at-munich-security-conference-1.265001