Profile picture
Ulrich Speck @ulrichspeck
, 3 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
German foreign minister @HeikoMaas sees "great power competition" (with USA, China and Russia as the main players) as the new paradigm of global politics. auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/ma…
His response to this challenge is a call for building a "sovereign Europe", echoing Macron.
Two problems with this: Germany needs to provide more than a vision for the future, it needs to clarify now where it stands on the major issues. And for building a joint European policy, Germany equally needs to position itself much more clearly.
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Ulrich Speck
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ulrichspeck see all

Profile picture
Often overlooked but true until now -- James Traub: "Trump’s grossest offenses—so far—lie in the realm of rhetoric and posture rather than action, and thus can be more easily rectified through language and comportment." foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/02/tru…
However, "Among Democrats, the muscular internationalism of Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton feels increasingly anachronistic."
"The public may find a lot to like in a candidate on the left who tells U.S. allies that the time has come to defend themselves by themselves—whether they’re able to or not."
Read 3 tweets
Profile picture
FAZ commentary about the fashionable talk about a European army: "Especially the (German) political class wouldn't object if the unloved responsibility for military affairs would dissolve itself in some kind of European army."
That nails it. Germany (and not just the political class) feels uncomfortable with military power. Re-armament in the 1950s happened against widespread resistance and ever since Germans were happy to delegate defense to the US/Nato. Now some hope it can delegated to "Europe".
But a European army isn't a realistic prospect. Without US leadership, Europeans likely to be more, not less divided on strategic and military affairs. And neither Paris not Brussels will be able take over the role of the protector for Germany and Central Europe from Washington.
Read 4 tweets
Profile picture
Essence of Trumpism: “America shouldn’t be doing the fighting for every nation on Earth [and] not being reimbursed” washingtonpost.com/opinions/globa…
"Several U.S. officials and people who have spoken directly to Trump since his Syria decision tell me they believe that Paul’s frequent phone conversations with Trump ... are having an outsize influence on the president’s recent foreign policy decisions."
"Trump has already decided to slash the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, which Paul has long pushed. Is South Korea next? Trump often says he wants to bring U.S. troops there home, too."
Read 4 tweets

Related threads

Profile picture
Irish Deputy PM @simoncoveney, with German Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas, says the “time for wishful thinking is over” to avoid a no-deal #Brexit. “There is no alternative 585-page agreement waiting to be dusted off”
Coveney: "These are fateful days and weeks in British politics. I remain convinced that there is a majority in the UK parliament which will do all it can to avert a disastrous crash-out #Brexit." Adds the deal is "fundamentally a good one"
Coveney says EU can issue "additional clarifications", but cannot reopen the Withdrawal Agreement itself
Read 7 tweets
Profile picture
New @realDonaldTrump administration’s #Africa strategy being unveiled here by @AmbJohnBolton.
The new #Africa strategy was approved by @POTUS yesterday and the administration "will begin executing (it) immediately," says @AmbJohnBolton.
"We will no longer support unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable UN peacekeeping missions," announces @AmbJohnBolton.
Read 22 tweets
Profile picture
#China will attempt a forceful unification with #Taiwan by 2021, the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. Xi's grand dream of national rejuvenation entails unifying all that #CCP considers Chinese lands, especially Taiwan.

This THREAD looks at this potential scenario.
The legitimacy of the #CCP regime under Xi is based on the twin pillars of economic growth and nationalism. For the party-state, unifying the mainland and Taiwan is critical to its aspirations of national rejuvenation and erasure of national humiliation.
Why would PRC force a unification as early as 2021? 1) 2021 is the centenary of the #CCP; anniversaries and dates have massive symbolic importance in China's political culture. 2) Xi wants unification to be part of his legacy. This is the only way that he can outshine #Mao.
Read 26 tweets
Profile picture
The inscription of the German foreign minister @HeikoMaas into the @AuschwitzMuseum guestbook.
"Hell on earth - this German creation was named Auschwitz. Full of sadness and shame, we bow our heads to women, men and children, millions of whom died here and elsewhere from the hands of the National Socialists..." 1/2
"...Germany's responsibility to defend the inviolability of human dignity comes from the will of the victims, everywhere and every day. This responsibility will never end." 2/2
Read 3 tweets
Profile picture
"Strategi Soft Power: Meningkatkan Kuasa Dan Pengaruh Sesebuah Negara"

Ditulis oleh: Ayman Rashdan Wong

#SouthKorea #KoreaSelatan #Malaysia #Budaya #MarcapadaDunia #Sejarah #Nusantara #Korea #HubunganAntarabangsa #USA #China

(Ini adalah bebenang)

Silakan retweet dan like
Beberapa hari ini saya datang 'mood' mengulas pasal industri hiburan Jepun dan Korea Selatan.

Jangan pula korang ambil kesempatan untuk hentam Melayu. Tujuan saya cuma nak memberi pencerahan tentang konsep 'soft power' sahaja.
Dalam hubungan antarabangsa, industri hiburan atau budaya popular kalau digunakan secara strategik, ia akan membantu negara memprojek kuasanya.
Read 32 tweets
Profile picture
Yesterday both the Canadian Foreign Minister @cafreeland and the German Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas gave speeches on how the world looks from where they sit as representatives of two of America’s closest allies. It ain’t pretty. 1/
Freeland was in DC to accept Foreign Policy Magazine’s Diplomat of the Year award, which she richly deserved. foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/14/201… 2/
Maas meanwhile spoke to a group of young Europeans in Berlin: auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/ne… 3/
Read 18 tweets

Trending hashtags

#SKorea #China #NKorea #multipolarism #RussiaHoax #Surrealism #Nusantara #FusionGPS #SaveSyria #HSI #PAM #Russian #Maupin #Idlib #FOX #Congress #disinformation #PAC #MAGA #Jarablus #Uhuru #USA #GreenParty #TrumpRussia #blue

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!

Premium member ($30.00/year)

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!