Believes leader of Germany’s Bundestag conservatives
Michael Glos, deputy leader of the opposition CDU/CSU faction and chairman of the CSU Bavarian delegation in the Bundestag, demonstrates convincingly that there is no unity among German politicians over the Iraq War and the current crisis in the US-German relations. Mr. Glos’s opinion is all the more interesting because his CDU/CSU block lost by quite a narrow margin to the Social Democrat-Green coalition in the latest elections and thus represents a considerable part of German society.
“How would you forecast the further course of events? I also have in mind the development of world order and of such organizations as the UN, NATO, and the EU after the war as well as the problems of repairing the split in Europe and between the European states and the US?”
“This issue raises a lot of questions. First, it would be good if this war ended as soon as possible, claimed as few human lives as possible, and the dictator were ousted from Iraq.
“Following this, we must revise the instruments of crisis management previously applied, above all, the UN Security Council. First of all, one must see if the very composition of the Security Council is still sufficiently representative, for Germany is not a permanent member, and the countries of Eastern Europe are also underrepresented in it. The case would be if the UN fails to continue playing its role as an instrument for resolving conflicts. To be effective, the UN depends very much on the world’s most powerful countries, including, of course, the United States. Unfortunately, the UN has failed to find a united approach to solve the Saddam Hussein problem.
“Second, NATO can only function well if the America-Europe axis works the way it should. Meanwhile, this axis has suffered a serious setback of late. I hope NATO will eventually gather general political support for the US position and will incur no irreparable losses. For example, the US and Turkey have always maintained close relations, especially in the military field. Now we suddenly see them deteriorating.
“And, third, we must immediately consider the postwar order in Iraq. The United States should not be allowed to act alone here: the European Union should also play its rightful role. Of course, peaceful development in a part of the world where tremendous energy reserves are concentrated is of paramount importance to international security as well as the well-being of all the world’s citizens.”
“Do you believe that such attributes as ‘old’ and ‘new’ Europe are justifiable and that there can emerge a multipolar world after the war?”
“Of course, nobody wants the world to have only one great power. This kind of situation does not and will not exist.
“We would like such powerful and mighty countries as the United States and China to be democratic and respect the principles of democracy, freedom, and human rights. But it is imperative that a strong Europe also play a significant role on the world arena along with the United States and China. But Europe will be able to play this role only when it is united and prepared to act as one. I see no other reasonable alternative for Europe.”
“What might be the opinion of your party and fraction about Ukraine’s likely membership in NATO and the EU?”
“This question is not on the agenda now. Yet, I think on the whole that our faction would prefer the membership of Ukraine rather than Turkey.”
“In that case, is there any difference between the Ukraine policy of your party and the that of the German government?”
“It has been impossible so far to trace any major differences between the government and the opposition over Ukraine. We hope there will be none in the future. Yet, the current situation really raises a certain measure of trepidation. I should add that Bavaria, long ruled by CSU, is and will be the main motor of Ukrainian-German relations. The proof of this is the situation with investments and economic cooperation, the basic foundation of any partnership.”
