Eighty Years of Restraint

“Germany must claim to be a leading power,” co-leader of the governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) Lars Klingbeil said. Europe must now “gain greater geopolitical weight,” he added while speaking at a conference of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin on June 21. The winds of change are blowing through Europe.

“After nearly 80 years of restraint, Germany now has a new role in the international coordinate system,” Klingbeil said. He believes this needs to show in practical terms, domestically and internationally. “My wish is that we as a society develop a new normality in our dealings with the Bundeswehr,” he said. Though the topic has been debated for some time, Klingbeil believes the time has come for a sudden break with Germany’s pacifist foreign policy.

Read more at “Casting Off Eighty Years of Restraint”