A manifesto published at the beginning of the week "Ensurement of peace in Europe through defence capabilities, arms control and agreement" was signed by more than a 100 people, mostly from the leftist-pacifist wing of the Social Democratic organization of Germany. Among them were erstwhile longtime head of SPD club in the Bundestag Rolf Muetzenich and MP of this organization Ralf Stegner, as well as erstwhile SPD president Norbert Walter-Borjans and erstwhile finance minister Hans Eichel.
Peacekeepers in the Kremlin are at risk, not the West.
It's an "open throwing glove" of his own organization and his own government," writes Joachim Kaeppner in the weekend edition of "Sueddeutsche Zeitung". "Is it the desire for revenge of aging comrades?". "Or is it specified ideological stubbornness?" wonders the author.
In his opinion, the authors of the manifesto do not have the right to trust on historical patterns, especially Chancellor Willy Brandt, the creator of the relaxation policy in the late 1960s and 1970s. "The situation in Europe has changed dramatically due to the Russian assault war," Kaeppner stressed.
Peacemakers in Europe are threatened by "neoimperialists and instigators in the Kremlin", not by the West, NATO and the own government of Friedrich Merz and Lars Klingbeil, as the authors of the manifesto suggest.
The commentator recalled that the first Social Democratic Chancellor Willy Brandt – an antifascist and opposition associate – ruled from 1969 to 1974 and gave his arm to his wartime opponents as part of his relaxation policy, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971. At the time of Brandt's rule, the German military budget was 3.5 percent of GDP – the same as the Merz government said.
Brandt dared to reconcile as he consulted his policies with allies, including the US. The authors of the Manifesto, on the another hand, treat America and NATO as "objects of destructive forces" from which 1 should be distanced to be able to get closer to Russia.
An analogy with Brandt is not justified
Muetzenych and his companions from the SPD cannot trust on Brandt reliably – writes writer "SZ". Their attitude is more like the actions of the social democrats of the 1980s erstwhile the SPD was incapable to establish a affirmative dialog with protests in Central and east Europe, including Solidarity.
"The deficiency of contact with reality demonstrated by the peace faction in the SPD is breathtaking. Representatives of this group want to return to the past ignoring 1 of the most crucial lessons of history," writes Berthold Kohler in "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".
Putin's strategy brings results?
The SPD pacifists shortly before the party's reunion and NATO summit request a return in defence policy of their own government, which they consider dangerous and irrational. Signatories of the manifesto say that in Germany and another European countries there has been force to face the military.
"We must wipe our eyes out of amazement – it was actually written in Germany and not in Russia"; Kohler interferes. In his opinion, the manifesto is simply a signal to Putin that his propaganda strategy is delivering results.
The authors of the manifesto ignore 1 of the most crucial lessons of past – "the gateway to hell opens by leading the application policy," concludes the commentator "FAZ".
"The Manifesto of Unreformable" was defined by the SPD paper of the German weekly "Der Spiegel".
Manifesto is not satire – authors of unreformable
"Russia bombards Ukraine, Vladimir Putin refuses serious peace talks, his supporters endanger the 3rd planet War, and the SPD group warns against Western military confrontation strategy. It sounds like a satire, but the writing is as serious as possible" writes Ralf Neukirch.
A mix of longing for peace and deficiency of contact with reality can meet with sympathy not only in part of the SPD, but besides many German citizens.
According to the author, the analogies with Brandt's relaxation policy are completely missed. In the 1970s, both sides of the conflict accepted borders in Europe. "Putin does not accept borders and wants to bring Russia to its erstwhile russian size. The attack on Ukraine proves that it is serious about it," we read in "Spyglu".
Neukirch believes that the manifesto forces the SPD chief Lars Klingbeil to take a clear stand for a policy aimed at restoring the ability to defend Germany. "We should be the authors of the manifesto grateful for this," writes the commentator "Spiegel".
