I agree on the problem of the mainstream having trouble to fix the system that feeds their corruption. I just fear that electing proven traitors such as AfD (partially financed by Russia and China, supported by Russian bots, now bootlicking the US admin) and BSW (directly controlled from Moscow) will only make a tough situation worse.
I have given them as examples, both having support from voters. There’s unfortunately no real alternative to mainstream parties at the moment from political point of view. Nobody really cares about cost of living and housing crisis, overcoming healthcare special interest group lobbies etc.
So true, unfortunately.
I wonder why that is the case. Maybe the majority of voters (pensionists, state employees, ...) is just not affected by these problems (yet)?
Most people have a vested interest in one party remaining in power, one that addresses their personal concerns over everything else. The ruling coalition just passed a pension reform that supports the older generation but is hostile to the young. Trade unions will support the SPD no matter what, because additional bureaucracy "benefits" workers. CDU is strongly influenced by business lobbies (and FDP too). Greens are feel-good choice for voters alarmed by climate change and as such are highly unstable (their pro-war stance could be probably a good idea, if Ukraine was winning, but now it looks detached from reality). The main problem is that German politics have professionalized, with careers starting straight from university, and became as opportunistic as product management in scale-ups. People understand that their political future isn’t tied to a decade-long housing program, so that is off the table.
Merkel dumped nuclear after Fukushima simply to improve her electoral calculus. As in everything she did, there were no long-term concerns. Yet to her defence it has to be stated that nuclear energy in Germany was just not economically feasible anymore at that time (when gas was still cheap, wind and sun cheaper, and burning coal was not yet frowned upon). Also, Germany had shut down their own uranium mining long ago.
France guarding the rest of Europe, that's funny! The connection had to be dropped because it did not have the capacity to supply Spain with enough power at that moment. And the connection is so small, because the French do not want competition from cheaper Spanish power generators.
The far right in Germany now calls themselves pacifists :-D
Nevertheless, I would feel much safer living in a EU that has serious nuclear deterrence capabilities.
well France is still in the EU and has nukes (including some in nuclear submarines), for what it's worth. Though it's not a given that the French would use their nukes to defend the EU.
You must have dreamed this. There is no blockade against Kaliningrad. Especially no sea blockade.
In fact, there is a EU treaty in place that ensures overland transport to Kaliningrad via Lithuania.
What in fact is in place is widespread GPS jamming done by the Russians from Kaliningrad, and that impacts ships sailing the baltic sea.
It's a scale between sanctions and other forms of blocking trade. Cutting off Kaliningrad will be a key part of punishing Russia as it moves more into Ukraine. There have been many instances of deliveries turned back through lithuania, sometimes causing massive disruptions to shipping to Kaliningrad. There has been a lot of threats from Russia that if the blockade gets to be fully enforced that they will respond militarily. Having total access to this port is going to be the next phase of the Russian war.
Regardless, without Kaliningrad being a factor, it is still Denmark's responsibility to control those waterways to deny Russia access to the North Atlantic. Having to reinforce Greenland is taking resources away from Denmark enforcing its area in the Baltic Sea.
There is a lot of information about it over the past few years from more international sources. And no, it's not imagined.
The really debatable issue is with the reported attempted agreement by the Trump admin and attempts by Russia to sort of trade Ukraine to Russia for Venezuela. If this turns out to be true, and you can find domestic reporting on this offer having been made a few years ago, then places like Kaliningrad, Estonia and other former Soviet Republics become the next targets.
I think that might be a step too far, rather I'd guess the US just knows the Russian systems very well. The success of the latest campaign against Iran shows that too, and if anything they learnt even more from that.
Either way, although Trump might every now and then be a bit too friendly with Putin, but a) cooperation at this scale and b) the bad looks and damage to Russian investments I think makes it seem unlikely. Putin doesn't stick his neck out for others unless it serves him. I'm not that well read on the Russian involvement in the area though...
Who might be the first European head of state or similar they lift out? Ursula von der Leyen? :-D
Air defenses in the EU does not seem to be in the best shape, the way Russian drones seem to operate without trouble.
