Letter to the Editor

Don’t use German Armed Forces for US interests that violate international law

As tragic as the massacre of Houla is, I cannot shake off the impression that the death of the children is to be used like the village Racak in Kosovo to justify a military intervention in Syria – just like the war against Yugoslavia, then. All those who are now upset – USA, France and Great Britain – are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, in Iraq at the latest and are taking that for granted.

The media campaign of de Maizière of these days must be seen in the same light. If the Bundestag is no more – or merely with shackles – allowed to decide upon the deployment of the Federal Armed Forces, one thing is for sure: It will be the American President and the hawky US Congress who will decide upon the deployment of German auxiliary forces. The compulsory military service was the last available means for us to not generally let the Federal Armed Forces be deployed on behalf of US interests. When zu Guttenberg abolished the compulsory military service, the last dam broke. Statements of Gabriel and de Maizière make clear that US influence is being exercised on all sides and that Gabriel wants the US approval for a SPD government.

De Maizière bluntly disregards the constitution and the Supreme Court’s decisions when demanding an automatic integration without having to ask the Bundestag. In that case once again only the single soldier remains who has the right – and also the duty – after the Federal Constitutional Court to refuse to take part in deployments that violate international law.

The previous integration density has been justified with the Cold War. Instead of turning the German Armed Forces into a mere mercenary army integration should be dismissed and the NATO should be reduced to what is written in the NATO treaty.

Willy Wimmer, former State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Defense, from 1994 to 2000 Vice President of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the OSCE
^{(Translation Current Concerns)}