[Salon] Who’s Afraid of an Alternative for Germany?

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/09/whos-afraid-of-an-alternative-for-germany.html

Who’s Afraid of an Alternative for Germany?

Conor GallagherSeptember 4, 2023

The media describes them as far-right, anti-European Union,
anti-immigrant, fascist, etc. But what exactly are the positions of
the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party? Why is it steadily gaining in
public opinion polls, and why is the German establishment so afraid of
them?

Various AfD party members have made comments in recent years that,
depending on your point of view, are offensive or were blown out of
proportion by the media. I’m not going to review all those here but
instead wanted to look at what policies are contained in the AfD
platform. The party’s “Manifesto for Germany” is a 93-page document
that covers just about everything, but I want to focus here on areas
that the media most frequently focus on  – immigration, the EU, and
nationalism, as well as the set of positions that I would argue is the
real reason for hyperventilating over AfD’s rise: foreign policy.

On the EU:

We oppose the idea to transform the European Union into a centralised
federal state. We are in favour of returning the European Union to an
economic union based on shared interests, and consisting of sovereign,
but loosely connected nation states.…

We believe in a sovereign Germany, which guarantees the freedom and
security of its citizens, promotes economic welfare, and contributes
to a peaceful and prosperous Europe.

Should we not succeed with our ideas of a fundamental reform within
the present framework of the European Union, we shall seek Germany‘s
exit, or a democratic disso- lution of the EU, followed by the
founding of a new Euro- pean economic union.…

European politics are characterised by a creeping loss of democracy.
The EU has become an undemocratic entity, whose policies are
determined by bureaucrats who have no democratic accountability.

On the Euro currency:

We call for an end to the Euro experiment and its orderly dissolution.
Should the German Federal Parliament not agree to this demand,
Germany’s continued membership of the single currency area should be
put to a popular vote.…

The Euro actually jeopardises the peaceful co-existence of those
European nations who are forced into sharing a common destiny by the
Eurocracy. The introduction of this currency has led to resentment and
confrontation amongst countries in Europe. Countries incurring
economic difficulties within the single currency area are forced to
restore their competitiveness by such measures as internal devaluation
and associated budgetary constraints (austerity policies), rather than
exploiting the tool of currency adjustments. Tensions amongst European
nation states can inherently be ascribed to the Euro.

AfD doesn’t just oppose the Euro for altruistic reasons. The party
also objects to any form of financial equalization between the richer
and poorer euro countries and claims Germany shoulders an unfair
burden in propping up the weaker members of the eurozone.

The political programme provides very little on labor policy, but AfD
does want to provide financial incentives for Germans to reproduce.
Here is the party on low birth rates and immigration:

In order to fight the effects of this negative demographic
development, political parties currently in government support mass
immigration, mainly from Islamic states, without due consideration of
the needs and qualifications of the German labour market. During the
past few years it has become evident that Muslim immigrants to
Germany,in particular, only attain below-average levels of education,
training and employment. As the birth rate is more than 1.8 children
amongst immigrants, which is much higher than that of Germans, it will
hasten the ethnic-cultural changes in society.

The attempt to counteract these developments by increasing the rate of
immigration will inevitably lead to the estab lishment of more
parallel communities, particularly inlarge cities, where integration
with the native population is already a problem. The spread of
conflict-laden and multiple minority communities erodes social
solidarity, mutual trust, and public safety, which all are elements of
a stable commu- nity. The average level of education will continue to
drop.

Greater political support for parental work, as well as education and
family policies which are focused on the needs of families and young
couples wanting to start a family, will once again lead to birth rates
at a self-sustaining rate in the medium to long-term. We regard the
closing of the gap between the actual number of children being born,
and the desire of 90% of young Germans to have children, as a central
element of our political platform.

The document goes on for many pages about protecting the nation’s
culture and how Islam is not a good fit for Germany. What exactly  is
that culture?

The AfD is committed to German as the predominant culture. This
culture is derived from three sources: firstly, the religious
traditions of Christianity; secondly, the scientific and humanistic
heritage, whose ancient roots were renewed during the period of
Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment; and thirdly, Roman law, upon
which our constitutional state is founded.

Islam does not belong to Germany. Its expansion and the
ever-increasing number of Muslims in the country are viewed by the AfD
as a danger to our state, our society, and our values. An Islam which
neither respects nor refrains from being in conflict with our legal
system, or that even lays claim to power as the only true religion, is
incompatible with our legal system and our culture. Many Muslims live
as law-abiding and well-integrated citizens amongst us, and are
accepted and valued members of our society. However, the AfD demands
that an end is put to the formation and increased segregation by
parallel Islamic societies relying
on courts with shari’a laws.

Here is the AfD immigration policy in a nutshell:

Current German and European asylum and refugee policies cannot be
continued as in the past. The ill-fitting term “refugee” used for all
the people who enter Germany irregularly with the aim to stay here
forever, is characteristic of this misguided policy. It is necessary
to make a distinction between political refugees and people fleeing
from war on the one hand, and irregular migrants on the other. It is
the AfD’s view that true refugees should be granted shelter as long as
there is war in the countries of origin. Irregular migrants, who are
not persecuted, have no right to claim protection, contrary to
refugees. Once the reasons for fleeing, such as an end to wars, or
political and religious persecution, no longer applies, shall
residence permits of refugees be terminated. These refugees need to
leave Germany. Germany and its EU partner countries should provide
incentives for those who have to leave. It is in the interest of
domestic and foreign peace if refugees return to their home countries
and contribute to the political, economic and social reconstruction of
these countries.

We advocate moderate legal immigration based on qualitative criteria
where there is irrefutable demand, which can neither be satisfied from
domestic resources, nor by EU immigration. The interests of Germany as
a social, economic and cultural nation are paramount.

On militarization,  foreign policy and the US:

Currently, the operational readiness of the German Armed Forces is
severely compromised. Due to poor political decisions and
mismanagement, our armed forces have been severely neglected for over
three decades. The operational readiness has to be fully restored so
that the armed forces will be able to perform all their
responsibilities. This is an essential prerequisite for the acceptance
of Germany as an equal partner by NATO, the EU and the international
community.

Membership of NATO corresponds to Germany‘s interests with regard to
foreign and security policy, as long as NATO’s role remains that of a
defensive alliance. The AfD believes that predictability in meeting
commitments towards NATO allies is an important goal of German foreign
and security policy, so that Germany can develop more political weight
to shape policies, and gain influence. We advocate that any engagement
of NATO must be aligned to German interests, and has to correspond to
a clearly defined strategy.

Wherever German Armed Forces, as part of NATO operations, are involved
beyond the borders of its Alliance partners’ territory, shall, in
principle, only be carried out under a UN mandate, and only if German
security interests are taken into account.

On Germany’s occupation by allied troops (i.e., the US):

…70 years after the end of World War II, and 25 years after the end of
a divided Europe, the renegotiation of the status of Allied troops in
Germany should be put up for discussion. The status of Allied troops
needs to be adapted to Germany’s regained sovereignty. The AfD is
committed to the withdrawal of all Allied troops stationed on German
soil, and in particular of their nuclear weapons.

And on Russia:

The relationship with Russia is of prime importance, because European
security cannot be attained without Russia’s involvement. Therefore,
we strive for a peaceful solution of conflicts in Europe, whilst
respecting the interests of all parties.

Why Is AfD Surging in Popularity?

AfD is a relatively new party – it was founded in 2013. It first began
to gain a foothold among disenchanted voters in East Germany during
the refugee crisis in 2017, but with the onset of the war in Ukraine
and the energy crisis in Germany, their support has been growing and
spreading. What originally made AfD so attractive in East Germany?

According to Manès Weisskircher who researches social movements,
political parties, democracy, and the far right at the Institute of
Political Science, TU Dresden, AfD’s support in the East can be
primarily traced to three factors:

The neoliberal ‘great transformation,’ which has massively changed the
eastern German economy and continues to lead to emigration and anxiety
over personal economic prospects.
An ongoing sense of marginalization among East Germans who feel they
have never been fully integrated since reunification and resent
liberal immigration policies in this context.
Deep dissatisfaction with the functioning of the political system and
doubt in political participation.

Recent polling contains interesting findings with regards to the AfD.
It shows that 44 percent of Germans supporting the party do not have
far-right views, but they are more concerned with inflation (90
percent) and immigration (87 percent) than the general public (78 and
56 percent, respectively). A whopping 78 percent of those who said
they would vote for AfD said they would do so to show they were
unhappy with current policies.

The rise of the AfD is rooted in the crisis of German neoliberalism,
and the current war in Ukraine that accompanies it. The idea that the
West would cause Russia to collapse, divide it into pieces and plunder
its natural resources has spectacularly backfired.

The German economy is instead the one in a freefall. In response,
Berlin continues to liberalize immigration laws to attract more
foreigners with the hope it will help the economy – this despite the
fact that half of German citizens would like the country to take in
fewer refugees than it currently does.

A record high of 71 percent of the German public are not satisfied
with the work of the federal government, according to a recent
Deutschlandtrend survey. The current government is unresponsive to the
concerns of working class voters. Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock
famously summed up that reality last year:

The AfD is the only party in Germany making the connection between
Berlin’s bellicose policy towards Moscow (and increasingly Beijing as
well) and the worsening economic conditions for Germans.

The Greens, rather than examine their own failings, are blaming voters
for not fully understanding their policies. They’ve launched a “charm”
offensive to better explain their wisdom while simultaneously
escalating their charges against the AfD. Tobias Riegel writes at
NachDenkSeiten [machine translation]:

The [Green] chairman of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, [Anton]
Hofreiter, is currently warning against the AfD and has accused it of
treason. He also did not rule out a ban on the party, as reported by
the media . Two sentences by Hofreiter are particularly striking. On
the one hand:

“You have to be aware of the incredible danger that the AfD poses to
democracy and the rule of law, as well as to the prosperity of many
people; that has not yet arrived in all parts of society.”

And on the other hand:

“There is also insufficient awareness of the danger that the AfD poses
to our country’s external security in this difficult situation with
increasingly aggressive dictatorships such as Russia and China. The
AfD is predominantly a group of traitors who act not in the interests
of our country but in the interests of opposing powers.”

If you swap “AfD” for “Greens” and if you swap “Russia” for “USA”, you
could almost think Hofreiter is talking about himself and his leading
party friends in these quotes.

Meanwhile, the country’s Left Party, which is considered a direct
descendant of the Socialist Unity Party that ruled East Germany until
reunification, has completely collapsed after abandoning nearly all of
its platform in an attempt to appear “ready to govern.” Much like the
bourgeoisie Greens, the Left increasingly stands for neoliberal,
pro-war and anti-Russia policies. Former Left voters have increasingly
switched to the AfD in response.

As long as the AfD is the only party in Germany willing to connect the
dots between US control over German foreign policy and the increasing
toll that is taking on the citizens’ standard of living, it will
likely continue to attract voters.

Why Is There Such an Outcry Over AfD?

For years now, the German establishment has been throwing the kitchen
sink at the AfD. There are of course allegations of Russia
connections. They hate the disabled.They are extremist and must be
monitored.  A former AfD representative was also  allegedly part of a
coup plan involving 25 geriatrics that were inspired by QAnon and were
somehow going to take over the government. Stories on the coup plot
almost always focus on the AfD link and warnings that they are getting
“more extreme.”

Most of these scare stories about the AfD originate from Germany’s
domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of
the Constitution (BfV), which last year won the right to surveil AfD
members after judges allowed the party to be branded a “suspicious
entity.”

German authorities are now able to monitor and intercept mail
correspondence, phone calls and online conversations. It can also
limit members’ ability to get employment in the public sector and make
it more difficult to obtain licenses for weapons.

(In the past, the BfV investigated members of the Left Party
suspecting them of intending to replace the existing economic,
political and social order with a socialist or communist system.)

Much of this seems ripped straight out of the US playbook for dealing
with Trump and unruly voters in general: ignore the voters, blame the
voters, and then release spooks.

The media hysteria over the AfD is reminiscent over the constant
ringing of alarm bells over the election of the Italian Prime Minister
and her Brothers of Italy party last year. Fascism was on the march,
they declared. Well, Meloni has turned out to be a pretty
run-of-the-mill corporate stooge who toes the line on the EU and NATO.
Even her anti-immigrant rhetoric gave way to ensuring the arrival of a
certain number in order to maintain the supply of cheap labor for
Italian businesses. And the freak out over Meloni died down as soon as
she proved her devotion to the EU and NATO.

Let’s not pretend that any of the concern over the AfD is due to its
proposed policies regarding German culture and immigrants. It is
because the party is advocating for positions that are a direct threat
to Brussels and Washington. If it went forward with efforts to get
Germany off the euro or boot US troops out of the country, it would
collapse the whole EU-NATO system.

Despite the media and intelligence agency pressure, the AfD only seems
emboldened. Beyond the party platform, AfD members have since gone
further in their criticisms of the US.

Here’s Member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah:

“It is certain that the German government was informed of the sabotage
beforehand by the Americans. This is the only explanation for Scholz’s
awkward silence. With the addition of a woke and irresponsible
warmonger like [Foreign Minister Annalena] Baerbock, who declares that
Germany is at war with Russia, nothing surprises me.

The problem is that this is tearing the German economy to pieces and
significantly impoverishes Germany. Moreover, the billions spent by
Germany on this gas project, which ensured us cheap energy, are lost,
but the coalition which governs Germany does not care. Officially,
Scholz knows nothing. Apparently, we live in a democracy.”

The AfD is also increasingly critical of Berlin’s stance towards
China, which it believes is being driven by US interests and Germany’s
detriment. From  Deutsche Welle:

The AfD has positioned itself in opposition to the German government’s
critical policy toward China. Berlin’s China Strategy, published in
mid-July, for example, was denounced by Bystron, the AfD’s foreign
policy spokesperson, as the “attempt to implement green-woke ideology
and US geopolitical interests under the guise of a strategy for German
foreign policy.”

The description of China in the strategy as a rival — as well as a
partner and competitor — was for Bystron “the consequence of the US’
confrontational course toward China. This confrontation and division
are not in the interests of Germany as an export nation,” he said.

For political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder from the University of
Kassel, the AfD’s foreign policy positions demonstrate an attempt to
set itself apart from the other German political parties.
Geopolitically, said Schroeder, the AfD sees the traditional Western
ties with the United States, which it regards as hegemonic, as having
past their use-by date.

“The AfD considers Washington to be more part of the problem than part
of the solution to the challenges facing Germany,” he told DW. “That’s
because the AfD considers the US an imperial actor whose vested
interests cannot be reconciled with those of Germany.”

The AfD is essentially calling for a return to the Angela Merkel
foreign policy based on Wandel durch Handel (“transformation through
trade”). It relied on cheap Russian gas imports and exports to its
largest trading partner, China.

There is now a central disconnect to Germany’s foreign policy and
domestic policy. As Berlin follows the wishes of the US, lives for the
citizens of Germany will  continue to worsen. How can Germany
reconcile this?

German Chacellor Olaf Scholz’s Zeitenwende was essentially a promise
to the US that Germany will from now on take up its sword in defense
of US hegemony and morally superior purposes (such as Baerbock’s
feminist foreign policy that aligns neatly with Washington’s enemy
list) against Russia, China, Iran, and whoever else threatens the
“rules-based order.”

The AfD, whether you agree or disagree with its other positions, is
for now the sole German party standing against such an arrangement.

The German state’s harassment of the Left Party appears to have worked
in getting it to abandon its previously “radical” goals of empowering
workers, dissolving NATO and getting US troops out of Germany. We’ll
have to wait and see what path the AfD takes.