Rummy extends Anglosphere to Munich
Overcome by the prospect of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld setting foot in the city, Munich's most popular metro paper, Die Abendzeitung, abandoned German for English today and startled it's readers with the front-page headline "Peace, not war Mr. Rumsfeld!" And very much in keeping with the pacifist mood in Germany at the moment, the message was superimposed on a 60s peace sign.
After rallying the troops in Italy, Rumsfeld has just arrived in the Bavarian capital for The Munich Conference on Security Policy, an annual talk fest that attracts decision-makers from more than 40 countries, who cogitate on transatlantic and global security issues between the beer and sausages. Guests this year include senators McCain, Hagel and Lieberman, the Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi, the Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie. Richard Perle is also on hand in case the appease-Saddam-at-all-costs crowd gangs up on Rumsfeld.
A huge anti-war demo is planned for tomorrow by a range of groups that have come together under the umbrella of No Nato. Their homepage is filled with the usual clich鳺 "Annually a high ranking-conference of war mongers takes place in Munich in February. In camouflage as 'security conference' representatives of the military, economic and political elite vote for their hegemony strategies..." Because violence is expected tomorrow, the US embassy in Germany has warned Americans to avoid Munich, but this prompted Günther Beckstein, the Bavarian minister responsible for internal security, to respond that US citizens will be safer in Munich tomorrow than they would be in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, no one is expecting Rumsfeld to emerge from his Munich meetings waving a peace of paper and declaring "peace in our time".
Comments
Let's hope the peace protestors don't get violent.
Posted by: Dean Esmay | February 7, 2003 6:44 PM
Interesting. Me-thinks a lot of Americans might be up for joining that "NoNATO" group. Might not be for the same reasons, though.
Posted by: Andrew X | February 7, 2003 7:39 PM
"Me-thinks"?
You've been spending way too much time at Renaissance Fairs.
Posted by: Paul A'Barge | February 7, 2003 8:02 PM
Hmm. Munich Conference. No one there wanting to stop a brutal dictator before it's too late. 1939 anyone?
Posted by: Julie | February 7, 2003 8:05 PM
This site has some more information about the Munich protests - http://amiland.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Thomas P. | February 7, 2003 8:28 PM
I must say, I am dissapointed in the Germans. I expect this type of crap from the French, but the Germans? I think I would support a kick the French out of NATO group. Any of those out there?
Posted by: Lef | February 7, 2003 8:48 PM
The shopkeepers are boarding up their windows because of the brownshirted "peace activists." They want another Kristalnacht.
Posted by: Dylan Wechsler | February 7, 2003 8:51 PM
France bowed out of NATO in 1966. They should have just committed hitokiri at that point. Germany should join them now and they could both restore their honor at once. Or maybe they wont...
Posted by: a libertarian | February 7, 2003 8:54 PM
Hmmm. I love the idea of "peace" protesters using violence. It's almost as good as the real effect of these "peace" protests as rallies to support Saddam's weapons program and program of murder, torture and repression.
Posted by: Doug Landrum | February 7, 2003 9:06 PM
France bowed out of NATO's command structure in 1966, but still maintained a formal military role in the Alliance throughout the Cold War.
France rejoined NATO's command structure in 1996 and is now a "regular" member just like the UK, US, Germany, Italy, etc.
Posted by: Mike in CA | February 7, 2003 9:37 PM
Here'a bumper sticker:
Democracies don't cause war.
Crazy dictators do.
In the words of the philosopher Billy Joel: "We didn't start the fire."
The time to put out the fire is when it's only on the stove, not when it has spread to the bedrooms.
We've waited too long, trying to reason with sheep.
Posted by: AST | February 7, 2003 10:00 PM