Re: Schroeder is not a Christian Democrat

I thought something was odd, but it didn't click when I glanced through
it.  It was published by the The Guardian Weekly, as noted at the end.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Angela Jancius [mailto:janciusa@msu.edu] 
> Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 6:32 PM
> To: Elson Boles
> Subject: Schroeder is not a Christian Democrat
> 
> 
> This article refers to Schroeder's party as the Christian 
> Democrats, or CDU. The Chancellor is, of course, a Social 
> Democrat.  I can't believe that Le Monde would get this 
> wrong.  Has this article been edited, or translated?
> 
> regards,
> Angela Jancius
> ******************************************
> Angela Jancius, Ph.D. Candidate
> Anthropology Department
> Michigan State University
> <janciusa@msu.edu>
> http://www.msu.edu/~janciusa
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Elson Boles" <boles@svsu.edu>
> To: "WORLD SYSTEMS NETWORK" <wsn@csf.colorado.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 4:03 PM
> Subject: Germany and Iraq
> 
> 
> > This article is taken originally from Le Monde.  Is Germany 
> trying to 
> > "get back into the fold."  Is there a fold to get back into?
> >
> >
> > Germany out on a limb over Iraq policy
> >
> > Daniel Vernet
> >
> > After dining with the French president, Jacques Chirac, on 
> October 2, 
> > the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, confirmed that his country 
> > would not take part in any war against Iraq, with or without the 
> > backing of the United Nations - a stance that greatly riled the US 
> > administration.
> >
> > Ten days after his narrow victory in Germany's general election, 
> > Schroder could hardly have done a u-turn without dismaying his own 
> > Christian Democratic party, his allies the Greens, and 
> German public 
> > opinion in general, which is hostile to military "adventures" - the 
> > word used by the chancellor when referring to US plans.
> >
> > But this official aspect of German policy is only half the 
> story. The 
> > other involves delicate manoeuvres aimed at bringing 
> Germany back into 
> > the fold. They began with a lightning visit by Schroder to Prime 
> > Minister Tony Blair. Feelers were then put out to the US by the 
> > foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, who suggested that 
> Germany, while 
> > not taking part in a military operation in Iraq, did not rule out 
> > playing a role in the "nation-building" process that would follow 
> > Saddam Hussein's fall.
> >
> > Fischer, who will probably visit the Washington soon and 
> meet the US 
> > secretary of state, Colin Powell, in a bid to ease tension 
> between the 
> > two countries, has the advantage of having taken a more moderate 
> > stance on Iraq than the chancellor did during the election 
> campaign. 
> > He knew that if the Christian Democrats won, he, as foreign 
> minister, 
> > would be left to pick up the pieces.
> >
> > The Germans need to try to regain the trust of the Americans and to 
> > break out of their isolation in Europe on the Iraq issue. 
> The position 
> > of the French, initially at least, is a godsend to Schroder. The 
> > refusal to include an automatic use of force in the first security 
> > council resolution is an area where a joint position could 
> be hammered 
> > out.
> >
> > True, the French stance has caused difficulties for the 
> Americans that 
> > they could have done without, but it does not prejudice the 
> steps that 
> > will probably have to be taken if Iraq continues to violate UN 
> > resolutions. The French do not rule out the use of force if it is 
> > proved that Saddam is seeking to equip himself with weapons of mass 
> > destruction.
> >
> > During the German election campaign, the slogan "No war 
> with Iraq" was 
> > effective because of its simplicity. In fact it conceals a more 
> > complex set of possibilities, which range from a rejection of any 
> > conflict with Iraq to a decision not to participate in it. That 
> > decision would be easier for the Germans to adopt if the US acted 
> > unilaterally than if the UN decided on a multinational operation.
> >
> > If the weapons inspectors are allowed to return to Iraq without the 
> > use of force, Berlin will simply need to cajole Washington into 
> > forgetting that the Germans had stepped out of line. If, on 
> the other 
> > hand, Saddam does not obey the security council's recommendations, 
> > Germany will face a real dilemma, and will be forced to 
> reconsider its 
> > response to a war with Baghdad. Schroder realises that France, as a 
> > permanent member of the security council, needs room for 
> manoeuvre. He 
> > would be well advised to allow himself similar room, so as 
> not to lock 
> > himself into a refusal that would isolate Germany.
> >
> > It is not yet certain whether the "red-green" coalition's stance on 
> > Iraq was dictated by electoral considerations, or whether 
> it marks a 
> > profound change in Germany's foreign policy that means it no longer 
> > has any compunction in disagreeing with its most trusted allies.
> >
> > When Schroder came to power in 1998 he said Germany's 
> foreign policy 
> > would be based on "enlightened self-interest". That was generally 
> > understood to mean that he would defend German interests within the 
> > European Union rather than accept unfavourable compromises as the 
> > price to pay for Berlin's guilty feelings about its past.
> >
> > If the international community, as represented by the security 
> > council, authorises an intervention against Iraq, the 
> moment of truth 
> > will have arrived for Germany. It will not be forced to 
> take part in 
> > the war if it believes that to do so would be contrary to its 
> > interests or beyond its capabilities.
> >
> > But a decision by Berlin to go it alone by disagreeing with the 
> > leading international powers - not just the US - would send out an 
> > alarming message. Everything suggests that this will not happen. 
> > Schroder seems determined, with Fischer's help, to get out 
> of the hole 
> > he dug for himself in response to election campaign 
> pressures. October 
> > 8
> >
> > The Guardian Weekly 17-10-2002, page 29
> >
> > Elson Boles
> > Assistant Professor
> > Dept. of Sociology
> > Saginaw Valley State University
> > University Center
> > Saginaw MI, 48710
> >
> 
>