For the last twenty years the German economy has thrived on globalization. Now that formula seems under pressure from many sides. Close trading and investment relations with China are yet another facet of the “German model” - after Russian gas - that is being called into question by our current polycrisis.
Germany and Russia are natural allies, in that each has what the other wants and can best get via cooperating. Germany and China are also for the same reason natural allies, albeit to a lesser extent than Germany and Russia.
United States policy has long been to prevent these alliances from coming to fruition.
"But it is quite another thing to claim that because Germany bought a lot of gas from Russia this materially contributed to the success of German exports, such that it is reasonable to say that the German model was dependent on “cheap Russian gas”. The evidence for that far-reaching causal claim is surprisingly weak."
I think that the proof is in the pudding. Will have to see how German industry, especially the sectors relying in cheap Russian gas are fearing.
"To critics it is pleasing to note the way in which the German model is unravelling and to highlight the way in which Germany’s year of success were owed to dirty compromises with regimes like those of Russia and China."??
Were the compromises dirty because Russia and China are dirty? Were they illegal? Antisocial? Unethical? Aesthetically repugnant?
Or did you just pull the phrase out of your ass because you felt obliged to badmouth the current Official Enemies?
“Full steam ahead in the wrong direction” –IW Economic Research Report
The IW is said to be on friendly terms with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Germany’s incumbent foreign minister has been openly anti-Russia, anti-China, and pro-US. No surprise in them doing the chief diplomat’s bidding.
The West’s frantic pearl-clutching about avoiding dependencies appears highly irrational, firstly, because dependencies are an unavoidable fact of life in today’s interconnected world, and secondly, because the root of the current fracas can easily be found in the West’s geostrategic misstep, i.e., the expansion of NATO, to which Russia felt forced to react – after 30 years of pleading. The lesson to be drawn may well be that unless you keep poking you trade partners in the eye there is no need to worry about dependencies.
Great article. I’m interested in the labour side of this and how German unions have tried to negotiate their way through the dilemmas posed by these developments. Linde, incidentally, is now headquartered in the UK.
missing is a full blown discussion on the yuean/yen currency croos and highlight the FRA podcast discussion with Louis Gave/Yra Harris about this critical relationship---is the weak YEN a play to lock out Europe from China as suggested by Louis Gave
Germany and Russia are natural allies, in that each has what the other wants and can best get via cooperating. Germany and China are also for the same reason natural allies, albeit to a lesser extent than Germany and Russia.
United States policy has long been to prevent these alliances from coming to fruition.
"But it is quite another thing to claim that because Germany bought a lot of gas from Russia this materially contributed to the success of German exports, such that it is reasonable to say that the German model was dependent on “cheap Russian gas”. The evidence for that far-reaching causal claim is surprisingly weak."
I think that the proof is in the pudding. Will have to see how German industry, especially the sectors relying in cheap Russian gas are fearing.
The purpose of nato is to keep the Germans down the Americans in and the Russians out
"To critics it is pleasing to note the way in which the German model is unravelling and to highlight the way in which Germany’s year of success were owed to dirty compromises with regimes like those of Russia and China."??
Were the compromises dirty because Russia and China are dirty? Were they illegal? Antisocial? Unethical? Aesthetically repugnant?
Or did you just pull the phrase out of your ass because you felt obliged to badmouth the current Official Enemies?
“Full steam ahead in the wrong direction” –IW Economic Research Report
The IW is said to be on friendly terms with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Germany’s incumbent foreign minister has been openly anti-Russia, anti-China, and pro-US. No surprise in them doing the chief diplomat’s bidding.
The West’s frantic pearl-clutching about avoiding dependencies appears highly irrational, firstly, because dependencies are an unavoidable fact of life in today’s interconnected world, and secondly, because the root of the current fracas can easily be found in the West’s geostrategic misstep, i.e., the expansion of NATO, to which Russia felt forced to react – after 30 years of pleading. The lesson to be drawn may well be that unless you keep poking you trade partners in the eye there is no need to worry about dependencies.
Great article. I’m interested in the labour side of this and how German unions have tried to negotiate their way through the dilemmas posed by these developments. Linde, incidentally, is now headquartered in the UK.
missing is a full blown discussion on the yuean/yen currency croos and highlight the FRA podcast discussion with Louis Gave/Yra Harris about this critical relationship---is the weak YEN a play to lock out Europe from China as suggested by Louis Gave
Even in widespread dissonance a new cohesion tends to develop. Will be interesting to see from where (and why) it emerges.