Well observed “Every civil servant knows that mistakes can slow down one's career, but a project well done does not necessarily guarantee further advancement. So it's important to eliminate risks as much as possible. The time factor plays no role in this equation.” #Bundeswehr
“Mais [chief of army] compares the military to a fire department, which immediately responds when the alarm is raised. The Bundeswehr cannot do that. The radio, the ladder & the hose for the fire truck would first have to be fetched from various barracks throughout the country.”
Brutal.
“Under Lambrecht, the MoD and the Bundeswehr leadership have fallen into a deep lethargy. Like with blood poisoning, the first organs are now beginning to die, says one officer. Another attests to his boss's "palliative conduct of office."“
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ICYMI in April: this is a must-read for all interested in geopolitics as it lays out one of the clearest cases for ‘the US must win against China’ (and how)
Given what a kafkaesque (and expensive !!!) experience it has been to get a German passport for a fully-German-two-German-parents-kid I can’t even imagine what that looks like for immigrants 🫣
My favourite moment (there were many) was when they went “you can have a passport for [not-the-correct-name] now if you like”.
They were seriously offering to give the kid a passport *with the wrong name* because that worked better with their processes.
(I did think about it for like a second in case the little one was planning a James Bond future)
Back from #LennartMeriConference
As always, it was highly insightful.
A few quotes I heard over the last two days that stuck with me: 🧵
The most powerful:
“I have two sons, whom I love dearly. The outcome of this war will decide whether they will have to fight in war in the future.”
#LennartMeriConference
The most thought-provoking:
“I am in a room full of believers but I am an atheist. … This is not a moment of reckoning for the world.” - On the war against Ukraine, by a non-European
I read Germany’s new national security strategy so you don’t have to.
(Though, it’s not a terrible read, so don’t let me keep you).
Thread with some thoughts and main points according to, well, me. #Sicherheitsstrategie
First the tldr: it’s s fine.
It says the right things, in the right tones. Nothing major was forgotten, nothing major gotten wrong (biggest bone of contention, imo, is 🇨🇳 and “multipolarity” ). It, however, also doesn’t really say anything particularly surprising or substantial.
Now that I have lost 90% of the readership, let’s dive into the details 😂.
Today is the day: Germany is getting its very first national security strategy.
I’ll follow the press conference at 11am and will let you know when we know more about its super secret* content.
*the strategy has been kept under close wraps.
Germany has had white books so far, but no comprehensive national security strategy. The document’s publication was delayed several times over this year - it was first supposed to be published in February, and be presented at the Munich Security Conference.
I told myself to stay out of this one, but I can't help myself, so here a few thoughts on the #Macron interview.
First, as many have pointed out, if you want to engage in the discussion, read the Les Echos interview, rather than the article with quotes from Politico. lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux-i…
My assessment of the #Macron interview:
. Some good points
. Several strong - ie controversial - statements on European sovereignty which were surely meant to ruffle feathers in the US and some European capitals
. A problematic stance on Taiwan
. *TERRIBLE* timing.