per-active international Kontributionen! (An Addendum to German Remilitarization)

While I did not get selected as one of the best bloggers for the Atlantic Review Carnival Blog, I did get some interesting comments in reply to my article on German Remilitarization. Extrablog, a German blog, had the following to say (via Google Translation):

On the wood path: Prose Before Hos becomes enthusiastic for a perspective, which cannot more grotesque at all be. Germany must advance the militarization in the interest of its international diplomacy and social achievements and prepare the public for coming “per-active international Kontributionen” politically. Hey! Gringo! It is called not proactive internationally contributions, but complex mission far away from home with little support from the host nation.

The message can be deciphered fairly easy through the translation: my idea is pretty irrational for a society that has no interest in engaging in current world affairs on a military level (or simply, my idea cannot be more ‘grotesque’). I am a very liberal individual who is against America’s invasion of Iraq, but Germany could and should contribute more to the world peacekeeping force, either as a part of NATO or the UN. The question isn’t about conducting missions with the necessity of public support, but being involved with decisions made in international bodies and aiding current operations across the globe. I do not want to use the phrase ‘moral responsibility’, but on several levels the Germans should be compelled to act in areas like Darfur and Afghanistan. Obviously, this is not a task that only Germans face but many nations, including Spain, France, and other NATO nations that have been decidedly against American policies but still seeking a significant role in international affairs. While I understand his point that election politics stiffles the ability for a lot of countries to act decisively in current situations (see the election of Socialists in Spain), a proactive role in peacekeeping efforts is preferable to an isolationism that alienates both former and current allies.

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English language host: Davids Medienkritik
German language host: Extrablog
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