Today we are dealing with a peace conference, with German soldiers in the civil war, with political lots and with the handshake.
Fire hazard
Today begins the
Paris Peace Forum
, a format invented by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018, 100 years after the end of the First World War.
It is supposed to promote peace in conversation.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will also have a say.
Icon: enlarge
Erdogan (left) and Putin keep getting into each other's enclosure
Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / Kremlin / REUTERS
It is essential to talk about
Russia and Turkey
, two authoritarian states that have been using wars for several years to expand their own sphere of power, mostly in the same area.
First it was Syria, then Libya, now it's the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijan won this short war, thanks to military aid from Turkey, but Russia, as an ally of the loser Armenia, also managed to expand its influence.
Russian President Putin and his Turkish colleague Erdogan keep getting into each other's way with their ambitions, but have so far been able to avoid war against each other.
However, what they do is extremely dangerous.
Russia has also divided Ukraine by military means.
A peace forum is a good thing, but as long as states believe they can profit from war, they rely on guns rather than words.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Russia enforces ceasefire in the Caucasus
German warriors
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Bundeswehr soldiers during an exercise (archive image)
Photo: © Michaela Rehle / Reuters / REUTERS
The Bundeswehr has been considered a peaceful army
for 65 years.
This anniversary is being celebrated today with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
However, there was also enthusiasm for war among German soldiers during this time, as the
historian Sönke Neitzel
reveals rather casually in his new book "German Warriors. From the Empire to the Berlin Republic - A Military History".
On page 466 you can read on 14 lines that "since 1991 around 200-300 Bundeswehr soldiers fought as volunteers in the Yugoslav civil war".
They went to the front on long weekends or on vacation, primarily to support the Croatians.
That was illegal, writes Neitzel, "but in many cases it was covered by the superiors, as personal initiative was viewed as a valuable enrichment for combat training."
You didn't know that before.
A research project aims to shed light on this matter.
Military historian on the Bundeswehr: "Then we can abolish it right away"
Random citizen
"LOS, Germany" is the name of a conference that will be held virtually today.
The title should sound like a departure, but also means the lot.
Because it is about citizens who are drawn by lot to advise politicians, so-called random citizens.
They came into vogue when the suspicion spread that politics was not in good hands with politicians.
The so-called establishment needs advice from "real life" people.
In Baden-Württemberg, for example, a
citizens' council
is currently being
prepared to discuss how the state government could improve its corona policy.
The problem is that it is not that easy to find random citizens.
Most of the people who were drawn say no, reported the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
You don't feel like debating or you trust the so-called establishment.
Nevertheless, citizens' councils are a
good addition to parliamentary democracy
.
The lottery procedure is representative like no other, and previous experience has shown that the people's vote in this form makes very reasonable suggestions.
Corona policy in Germany: Restricts freedom of assembly
List of losses IV: The handshake
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Handshake etiquette often led to confusion
Photo:
Uwe Anspach / dpa
There is a book by the writer Judith Schalansky with the title "Directory of some losses". I borrow these beautiful words and write every day this week about things or phenomena that have been lost to us in the pandemic.
How the handshake became a
common greeting
gesture in large parts of the world
is a mystery to me.
Actually it only has disadvantages.
In terms of hygiene, it has always been a disaster, and not just because of the bacteria and viruses that were exchanged in the process.
You came into direct contact with everything that the other person had last touched, and you often didn't want to know what that was.
We don't even want to talk about the special case of a damp handshake here.
In addition, this greeting often led to
confusion
if you are not one hundred percent sure about etiquette (like me).
First women shake hands, then men, first the older ones, then the younger ones, first the editor-in-chief, then his deputies - that's easy.
But what if it's a deputy?
Or when you meet an older man with a younger woman (not that rare), who is first?
Also the question
"hug or handshake?"
embarrassed people who were so half friends.
If one stretched out his arm while the other spread his arms, something was already crooked.
My father and I have not been able to solve this problem in 40 years since, when I came of age, he started shaking hands with me while I insisted on hugs.
Now we wave to each other.
It can stay that way.
The latest news from the night
Diego Maradona released from hospital - with a column of fans:
The doctors had recently spoken of "withdrawal symptoms" - but now Diego Maradona is out of the hospital.
His fans paid tribute to him
The pressure on Donald Trump is growing:
Joe Biden is now five million votes ahead of Donald Trump, and things are also looking good with the electorate.
Nevertheless, the incumbent refuses to admit bankruptcy.
How long can he get away with it?
Career entry in the Catholic Church:
Gregor Schweizer was ordained a priest in June 2019 after nine years of preparation.
Not having a family is not easy for him, he says.
And that's exactly what makes him a good priest
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I wish you a good start to the day.
Yours Dirk Kurbjuweit