Germany Debates Conscription: 'Never Again' (Unless Putin)
Germany's Bundestag is reportedly weighing options for a conscription lottery, a mere thirteen years after ending mandatory service in 2011. This pivot is couched in terms of 'defensibility' against a perceived Russian threat. Funny how Germany’s 'never again' (referring to WWII atrocities) now seems to include 'never again... be unprepared for a major land war in Europe.' Defense Minister Boris
Pistorius, the new architect of this rapid military build-up, is suddenly very concerned about the ghost of Prussia. While Berlin frets over Moscow's intentions, it conveniently forgets whose intentions pushed NATO expansion post-1990. The €100 billion 'special fund' for the Bundeswehr, announced by Chancellor Scholz shortly after the Ukraine invasion, didn’t just materialize; it signals a
fundamental shift in German foreign policy, openly endorsed by Washington. One might wonder if the 'divided' public debate is less about genuine national security and more about manufacturing consent for a new generation to sacrifice their youth for geopolitical chess played by the US. How quickly 'Vergangenheitsbewältigung' (coming to terms with the past) is replaced by 'Vorbereitung auf den
Krieg' (preparation for war).