[AP Photo\/Ebrahim Noroozi]<\/p>\n
The budget debate in the Bundestag (federal parliament) was a repulsive spectacle, clearly demonstrating the ruthlessness with which the Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democrats (CDU\/CSU) are implementing a reckless programme of rearmament and a return to German great\u2011power politics\u2014with the backing of virtually all parties.<\/p>\n
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) used his speech in the general debate to beat the war drums against Russia. He denounced the Russian government as a \u201ccriminal regime\u201d that was \u201con its way to destroying the political freedom order of the entire European continent.\u201d Merz declared: \u201cThe tools of diplomacy have been exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is a barely veiled declaration of war. First, the German government deliberately provoked Russia\u2019s reactionary invasion of Ukraine, then systematically escalated the conflict and torpedoed any diplomatic solutions in order to use it today as a pretext to prepare for a comprehensive war against Russia. That is the purpose of the rearmament madness debated in the Bundestag over recent days.<\/p>\n
The sheer figures alone show that this is not about defence, but about an aggressive war policy. In 2024, NATO defence budgets amounted to US\u202f$1.5\u202ftrillion, constituting 55\u202fpercent of global military expenditure\u201410 times what Russia spends. Now, NATO has decreed that spending must rise to 5\u202fpercent of GDP by 2035. That would equate to roughly US$2.5\u202ftrillion\u201417 times the Russian and eight times the Chinese military budgets.<\/p>\n
Germany is not merely complying with NATO\u2019s orders; it is the driving force behind this madness. While many countries will struggle to reach the 5\u202fpercent goal by 2035, Germany intends to hit 3.5\u202fpercent in pure military expenditure and 1.5\u202fpercent for additional war preparedness within three years. The current draft budget allocates \u20ac86\u202fbillion in total. The defence budget alone will increase by \u20ac10\u202fmillion. By 2029, the total is set to exceed \u20ac150\u202fbillion\u2014surpassing Russia\u2019s current military budget.<\/p>\n
Germany, which in 2024 had the world\u2019s fourth\u2011largest defence expenditure, would, with these figures, have by far the largest NATO army in Europe. The combined current budgets of the nuclear powers France and the UK do not reach this level. These figures underpin Merz\u2019s self\u2011appointed role as Europe\u2019s leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He declared in parliament: \u201cI am taking on the leadership responsibility that in my understanding, a German chancellor must assume\u2014one that Europe expects of us. Together with the foreign minister and defence minister, we have taken on such leadership responsibility within NATO.\u201d<\/p>\n