France and its President Emmanuel Macron are currently delivering exactly what entrepreneurs, investors and managers in Germany are lacking: vision, growth, will and appreciation. In his Handelsblatt guest commentary, Prof. Dr. Klaus Schweinsberg analyzes how far Germany under Olaf Scholz is lagging behind its neighbor in these areas.
At this year’s French-German Leadership Discourse, hosted by Alstom and the European Center for Digital Competitiveness on October 11 in Berlin, Prof. Dr. Klaus Mangold was welcomed as guest of honor. The former top manager at DaimerChrysler, CEO of Quelle and Chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) was appointed Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur in 2004. The exchange between Prof. Dr. Mangold and Prof. Dr. Klaus Schweinsberg, founder of the European Center for Digital Competitiveness, opened a discussion with the participation of students and guests from business and society.
On September 20, 2023, the 5th Security Policy Roundtable of the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, General Carsten Breuer, took place at the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin. The main topics were the security policy situation on NATO’s eastern flank and the prospects in the Indo-Pacific. The focus here was on the military and economic implications. As in previous years, the CEOs and chairpersons of well-known German companies were invited to this event. The event was moderated by Professor Dr. Klaus Schweinsberg.
The former commander of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and member of the Israel Defence Forces General Staff, Major General (ret.) Amikam Norkin, and Brigadier General Shimon Tsentsiper, former head of the IAF Material Directorate, were invited to the 5th Short Notice Briefing. Three days after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel, the Centre for Strategy and Higher Leadership hosted the briefing to analyze possible scenarios of the conflict and the role of various actors in the region. Prof. Dr. Klaus Schweinsberg chaired the confidential discussions on the state of the war in Israel.
Konstantin v. Hammerstein’s assessment of the Chancellor’s defense policy refers to the results of the representative population survey conducted by the Center for Strategy and Higher Leadership. The current Sicherheitsreport (Security Report) documents that only 45 percent of German citizens support that Germany should participate in defense in the event of an attack on a NATO state. Co-editor Prof. Dr. Klaus Schweinsberg considers the fact that there is thus no clear commitment among the German population to the alliance obligations under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty to be the most remarkable result of this year’s Sicherheitsreport.
Biden’s „carefully calibrated“ tactical approach is responsible for the fact that Ukraine has so far been able to parry the Russian attack and NATO involvement has been prevented, notes v. Hammerstein. The Sichreheitsreport data show that not only Olaf Scholz relies on the transatlantic alliance, but that the population also considers the United States a reliable partner. However, in order to be able to reject doubts about Germany’s loyalty to the alliance, the article suggests, the chancellor must reaffirm Germany’s commitment to the the alliance – especially with regard to the Baltic states – notwithstanding the surveys that are critical of NATO.