The Greens want to join the government - the party is taking precautions.
Among other things with a Bundeswehr turnaround.
But the swing could have consequences.
The Greens want to join the federal government in 2021 - maybe even the Chancellery.
The party now wants to position itself more broadly.
Also with a shift from pacifism to a mainstream-compatible course in defense.
But what the Union and some voters should like could also get the Greens into trouble.
Berlin - The
Greens started out
in the 80s as a party of pacifism *.
This attitude is now changing - presumably also with a view to the official government participation.
Green leader Annalena Baerbock
surprised on Monday with a call for armaments.
But while the potential coalition partner
Union
and more conservative voters should read it with goodwill, the
left is
already setting out to collect disappointed regular voters of the eco party.
Greens change Bundeswehr course - Baerbock: "Invest more so that rifles shoot"
In any case, Baerbock thought out loud in an interview about
higher spending for the Bundeswehr
.
“There is a lack of night vision devices for practicing, not to mention flying lessons.
We have to be honest about that.
Yes, in some areas you have to invest more so that rifles can shoot and night vision devices work, ”said the green of the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
Even more: Baerbock also announced that in the event of an
election victory he would
talk to
French President Emmanuel Macron * - a declared advocate of a more independent Europe - about
robust military operations
.
“It won't be easy.
But we mustn't duck back, ”she said.
The
Green leader
also
cited the
experiences of the Trump era
as the reason
.
"Authoritarian states", warned Baerbock, filled the gap created
by the
US withdrawal
from its global leadership role.
Europe meanwhile revolves "around itself".
If the West
does not want to leave the field to
countries like
China, Russia or Turkey
, that must change.
Greens set course for coalition with the Union - Left wants to pick up disappointed voters
The response from the
Left Group
was not long in coming.
"If the Greens are already campaigning for armament of the Bundeswehr and even renewed war missions without a UN mandate from the opposition," said their
parliamentary managing director Jan Korte
, "one can only shudder at a Green participation in government with their preferred partner, the CDU
."
“Good schools” and “more nursing staff” are more necessary than night vision devices.
The outgoing
party leader Bernd Riexinger was
in the same
direction
.
"The Bundeswehr constantly complains about too little money, but schools, hospitals and municipalities do that too," he wrote in a tweet.
What is important is "supplying the citizens, not arming them for war operations."
#Baerbock is wrong.
The #Bundeswehr doesn't need more money.
The Bundeswehr constantly complains about too little money, but # schools, # hospitals and # municipalities do that too.
It is important to take care of the citizens, not to arm them for war missions!
- Bernd Riexinger (@b_riexinger) November 30, 2020
The new attitude of the Greens, however, is perhaps a lesson from their own history: In the
Red-Green government led by Gerhard Schröder
, the party was left without clear change of attitude to military operations - and fell in the face of the
war in Kosovo
and the
NATO air strikes
on Serbia in a dilemma.
Well-known Green politicians like
Cem Özdemir
have been working on realigning their party's defense policy for some time.
Greens in a dilemma: disappointment in nature conservation Langer too - expert warns party against Baden-Württemberg election
The debate also shows the very topical
dilemma facing the Greens
.
The party is aggressively seeking to join the federal government, but will have to make realpolitical concessions there.
The Greens recently caused disappointment with the
climate and nature conservation movement
, including the clearing of the Dannenröder Forest.
In some federal states, more clearly ecologically oriented climateists are being founded.
Current polls put the Greens in second place in the Sunday question - and their party leaders among the most popular politicians in the country.
However, it would not be the first time that the party
failed to achieve
good polls in the
federal elections
.
The election will take place at the end of September 2021.
There was a warning at the start of the week from the recently so green Ländle: In the
future, a
CDU man
will again be sitting
in
Stuttgart's town hall
, which has been clear since the second ballot on Sunday.
With a view to the
state elections in Baden-Wuerttemberg
"this is definitely a hint for the Greens that they shouldn't think that the election has already run," said communication scientist Frank Brettschneider of the
dpa
.
The party must campaign and be capable of campaigning.
She did not succeed in doing that in Stuttgart.
(
fn with material from AFP and dpa
)