Europe must do more to defend liberal world order - Germany's Schaeuble

[webfact]

Europe must do more to defend liberal world order - Germany's Schaeuble

By Michael Nienaber

 

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Europe must assume greater responsibility to defend a liberal, democratic world order as the United States appears increasingly less willing to do so, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday.

 

His comments chimed with remarks from German Chancellor Angela Merkel who said last month that Europe could no longer completely rely on its allies, pointing to bruising meetings of the G7 wealthy nations and NATO that were also attended by U.S. President Donald Trump. [nL8N1IU0EO]

 

Germany holds the presidency of the G20 leading economies, a platform Merkel wants to use to safeguard cooperation, now strained by Trump's decision to pull out of a landmark climate protection agreement.

 

"We have to improve our cooperation, we have to rely on our mutual trust," Schaeuble said at a ceremony where he was awarded the Henry A. Kissinger Prize by the former U.S. secretary of state personally.

 

"We need to stick to our values, we need to be more convincing," said Schaeuble, a veteran member of Merkel's ruling conservatives.

 

Schaeuble said the major problems in the world such as climate change, international terrorism and migration flows could only be solved when countries worked closely together.

 

"If the United States is starting to take a sceptical view of its role as the guardian of global order – and we've already seen hints of this in recent years – then I would see this as a call to action directed at Europe, including Germany," he said.

 

Schaeuble said he doubted whether the United States truly believed the world order would be equally sound if China and Russia were to fill the gaps it left and if Beijing and Moscow were given a free hand to dominate their spheres of influence.

 

"That would be the end of our liberal world order. This order is still the best of all possible worlds, for ethical, political and economic reasons. And we want this order to keep moving forward, or at least not see it weakened," he said.

 

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-21

[funandsuninbangkok]

Better buy some tanks and get some of your boys in uniform or start takin Russian lessons. 

[the guest]

In many EU countries their cultures are being diluted to a point where they are not even recognized. The EU whilst -I understand their point, are becoming a dumping ground for everyone who wants to claim asylum, even though many may be classed as an economic migrants not a refugee escaping war. The consequences for the EU is devastating, services and the balance that exists is being rocked to it's foundations. The result as we have witnessed, will be more unrest, the decline of mainstream services, and greater burden on the population. 

[iReason]

4 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

...by allowing unchecked flow of angry migrants dead set on tearing down the cultures of their host countries.

 

Must have been even all the more heinous and hard to embrace for the conquered nations by the english, the french, the spaniards, the dutch and the portugese empires who invaded those sovereign nations and occupied them through rivers of blood.

[canuckamuck]

10 minutes ago, iReason said:

 

Must have been even all the more heinous and hard to embrace for the conquered nations by the english, the french, the spaniards, the dutch and the portugese empires who invaded those sovereign nations and occupied them through rivers of blood.

I am sure it was terrible for those cultures. Does that mean that we have to allow it to happen to ourselves. Is this your western guilt complex showing?

[iReason]

4 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

I am sure it was terrible for those cultures. Does that mean that we have to allow it to happen to ourselves.

 

Clearly you missed the point of my comment on your since deleted hyperbolic and baseless post.

 

"Does that mean that we have to allow it to happen to ourselves."

It's not.

Not even remotely close.

[canuckamuck]

23 minutes ago, iReason said:

 

Clearly you missed the point of my comment on your since deleted hyperbolic and baseless post.

 

"Does that mean that we have to allow it to happen to ourselves."

It's not.

Not even remotely close.

Funny how my posts just wander away sometimes. I just can't drive on the left very well.

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

I am sure it was terrible for those cultures. Does that mean that we have to allow it to happen to ourselves. Is this your western guilt complex showing?

 

He's probably planning an invasion of Rome and the Viking homelands as we write. Never forget! 

[Baerboxer]

 

Just prior to the Brexit referendum, this gentleman also said that elections can't be allowed to change things!

 

Very liberal of him.

 

Democracy - as long as the people only vote in who we want, the "establishment" and not any boat rockers who interfere with our vision. A vision we won't actually share or put to the electorate as we already know best. Lovely liberalism where the state is equal and fair for all, but some are more equal of course.

[jesimps]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Just prior to the Brexit referendum, this gentleman also said that elections can't be allowed to change things!

 

Very liberal of him.

 

Democracy - as long as the people only vote in who we want, the "establishment" and not any boat rockers who interfere with our vision. A vision we won't actually share or put to the electorate as we already know best. Lovely liberalism where the state is equal and fair for all, but some are more equal of course.

A bit like the junta's view of Thailand hey Bb?

 

[YetAnother]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

"If the United States is starting to take a sceptical view of its role as the guardian of global order – and we've already seen hints of this in recent years – then I would see this as a call to action directed at Europe, including Germany," he said.

as a long retired ex american , the usa does NOT want this role; in today's world it is impractical; look at n korea;

eu ( in other words, Germany) wants a greater role, welcome at it

[bristolgeoff]

the uk had enough of the corrupt club,the germans are trying to control Europe when they failed in the 1940,s.i hate to see who is in control in a few years in europe

[Rancid]

10 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Better buy some tanks and get some of your boys in uniform or start takin Russian lessons. 

Er, so the Russians want to invade Europe, ah why? Assuming they even had the military projection to do so, which they dont, an army of occupation wouldn't completely bankrupt them?

 

That aside what exactly is this liberal world order he referred to that we are supposed to prop up? I see for the first time in an eon the rich getting richer and everyone else poorer, how is that worth our body bags to protect? I'll wager neither he nor his family will be on the front lines.

[soumanioco]

With the crash of Nazi Germany in 1945, Germany not only did it lose its influence in Europe but was placed under a quadruple occupation itself. Following the sentencing of a few Nazi leaders in Nuremberg, de-fascism in both occupied areas slowed down. Besides, the involvement of the German people in the Nazi system was so great that any persecution of those who were Nazis would practically empty the country in both the western occupation zone and the east. Numerous Nazi scientists were fleeing and working for the US, while a host of industrial infrastructures and construction projects were reaching the USSR.
Both (when the occupation zones were formed in states) the FRG and the German Democratic Republic, were manned in their core structures by former Nazis.
The settlement of Germany's debts (as far as the FRG was concerned) in 1953, and the unlimited US assistance, helped the country not only to rebuild but also to become (what was meant to become) a bastion of the West and NATO against the "Communist Threat". The Nazi past was covered by a veil of sympathy, while former Nazis, for example Luftwaffe's officers, made it to become NATO Air Force Commanders or the Presidents of Republics (!) -Austria.
Under US influence (or command, if you will), post-war governments in Europe accepted their countries' war reparations for Nazi occupation (as well as the Forced Loans in which the Nazis forced upon occupied countries) to be settled after the reunification Of Germany.
During the Cold War, German workers and migrant workers alike, re-created the German wealth -but participated in it at a minimum, and after the fall of the USSR and the looting of the Democratic Republic, the pendulum moved even more toward the workers' expense, until the first decade of the 21st century, when they were finally sent to exile from all social influence and (with the Schroeder Agenda) inevitably sunk into poverty and in parts to utter wretchedness.
After the reunification of Germany, the former frail (for the people) and at the same time autocratic democracy of the FRG, and the apolitical bureaucracy of the German Democratic Republic, were the raw material for the neoliberal tyrannies of the oligarchs, who are now running the Germans, while leading and ordering the Europeans about.
Today Germany has formed around it a spiral of satellite states, while it has a decisive influence on zones from Croatia to the Baltic States, has "returned" to Ukraine, manipulates France and has a strong voice in Italy, Spain and elsewhere.
This is the "wonderful new world" that the German New Order is (re)creating.



Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Khun Han]

Or: "This is our opportunity to become the de-facto leaders of the western world". Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

It seems that Trump's demands that Europe bears a fairer share of the defence burden has had dramatic results, at least as far as promises are concerned.  The only disturbing element is who is apparently trying to lead the charge, and I am not referring to monetary considerations.