German Papers Pride in the Vaterland
So in the end, the convention of Germany's conservative opposition party the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) did produce something interesting. Conservative luminary Edmund Stoiber (actually the head of CDU's Bavarian sister party and candidate for German chancellor in 2002) touched on a theme that was bound to get the country's editorialists heated up: Patriotism. It has been a touchy topic in Germany ever since World War II, and despite growing popularity for the idea of a German patriotism -- and the fact that it has been kicking around the public debate in recent weeks -- many are still uncomfortable with it.
Tops on that list is the left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung. Every one of the paper's editorials on Wednesday includes the word "Patriotismus" in the headline, and it's not meant as an endorsement for the concept. The paper's lead editorial accuses the CDU of adopting the concept of patriotism to distract voters from the fact that they have no real political platform. It is, says the paper, the politics of desperation. "(A new study) recently shows that anti-Muslim sentiments are growing in the population. Would it be much of a surprise if the (CDU party leader Angela) Merkel team exchanged a strategy of 'patriotism out of desperation' for 'xenophobia out of desperation'?" TAZ also refers to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's recent statement that, "everything I do is patriotism." That is a nice sentence, the paper writes. And then, referring to Schroeder's unemployed brother, it adds: "But it would change meanings slightly were it to come from his brother's mouth. If, as is the case for millions in Germany, one does nothing everyday, is that also patriotism?"
The left-of-center daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung doesn't so much have a problem with the concept of patriotism per se, but rather with the way politicians have been throwing the term around of late. "Those who base their, quite often banal, day-to-day political decisions on God or on the Fatherland, cross the line. Such argumentation is no longer a part of rational discussion. ... It is only a small distance from that attitude to the dividing of people into Good Germans and Bad Germans."
Meanwhile, the conservative daily Die Welt recognizes the appearance of the word "patriotism" in the speeches of politicians for what it is: Pure populism. On that basis, the paper criticizes CDU boss Merkel for not using patriotism convincingly enough. "Whereas others say they love Germany, Angela Merkel talks about liking Germany quite a bit. ... Merkel, who requested a presentation by a brain researcher for her 50th birthday celebration, hasn't yet learned the art of exciting rhetoric -- and that's the main reason why support for her has been so tepid."
The second major theme discussed by German papers on Wednesday is the apparent assassination attempt on interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during his visit to Berlin last week. Although no hard evidence has been found that an attack was, in fact, in the works, the ongoing investigation revealed on Tuesday that a number of those arrested in connection with the incident have contacts with the terror group Ansar al-Islam, an organization responsible for a number of attacks in Iraq and which has contacts to al-Qaida. The news has proved disturbing for Germany, which has seen a massive effort in the years since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States to destroy terror cells within its borders.
The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung begins its editorial on the subject with well-deserved praise for the German authorities who were able to foil the terrorists before they could attack Allawi. "But it is unsettling enough that within Germany lives a network of terrorists who want to establish an ultra-religious state in Iraq and who aren't satisfied with merely sending fighters to Iraq or with fund-raising. The case proves once more that Germany's refusal to participate in Iraq has brought no protection from the threat of terrorism."
That tone of worry is repeated in a number of other papers as well. The Sueddeutsche does, however, attempt to temper those worries a bit. It argues that the Tuesday report from Germany's chief prosecutor Kay Nehm is by no means a horror scenario, "but it is a very concerning report," especially considering the close ties terrorists in Germany apparently have with terrorists in Iraq. "From today's point of view, the hastily prepared attack (on Allawi) didn't have huge chances for success. It did, however, provide a glimpse into the terrorist structures within Germany -- and into the need for rigorous action."
