Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff @KleineBrockhoff Twitter profile

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

Yet again, a plain-talking Scholz, responding to calls from the audience for negotiations: "Negotiations are fine. The question is who negotiates with whom about what. What is unacceptable is that🇺🇦is forced to accept Putin's territorial raid and... " (strong applause) /1

phoenix

@phoenix_de

11 months

#Kirchentag2023 | "Verhandeln ist okay. Die Frage ist, wer verhandelt mit wem und worüber", erwidert @bundeskanzler @olafscholz auf Zwischenrufe beim #DEKT in #Nuernberg . Man dürfe die #Ukraine aber nicht dazu zwingen, den Raubzug Putins zu akzeptieren.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

Important speech by President #Steinmeier about Putin’s war. He prepares Germans for hard times and an age of confrontation. But the speech is as remarkable for what it mentions as for what it omits. The good, the bad and the ugly - a 13 piece🪵here:

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

"... and that part of🇺🇦territory is simply turned into🇷🇺. That, in all honesty, is President Putin's plan. (...) He wants to build another🇷🇺empire. He thinks his country is not large enough. To him, 🇺🇦+🇧🇾are part of Russia, as he has told us time and again." /2

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

"This is the goal of his war. In this, he shall not succeed." (Applause) @gmfus #kirchentag2023 #Ukraine ️ @Bundeskanzler @OlafScholz

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

So terribly sorry: documents for the Nordstream 2 investigative committee seem to go up in smoke. A local tax official burned the tax declaration of Governor Schwesig's sham "environmental foundation" that did 🇷🇺's bidding on NS2. Why? 1/

Finanzbeamtin verbrennt Steuererklärung von Schwesigs Klimastiftung

Im Streit um die umstrittene Klimastiftung in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wird nun auch Fehlverhalten der Finanzbehörden offenbar.

www.focus.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

5/ The President is unequivocal in his support for Ukraine. He directly addresses and rejects those Germans who claim the government is not doing enough to help negotiate a settlement. Steinmeier rejects any settlement that legalizes a landgrab.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

About the🇩🇪🐆wars,🇺🇦FM @DmytroKuleba says this: "First they say no, then they fiercely defend their decision, only to say 'yes' in the end. We're still trying to understand why the🇩🇪government is doing this to itself." Let me try an explanation on grounds of political culture. 🧵

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

13/ In sum, Steinmeier’s speech represents perfectly where 🇩🇪 stands: first steps to adapt to the new world have been taken, belatedly and cautiously, but a larger concept of the global change and what it will mean for 🇩🇪 is still missing.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

Kudos to @SZ : the inside story of "Operation Megalomania" - how the Governor of the small state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania tried to rescue and finish #NordStream2 when🇺🇸threatened secondary sanctions. The history of a colossal misjudgement, a🧵 1/

Der Trick: Wie die Politik das Projekt Nord Stream 2 rettete

Als Nord Stream 2 im Sommer 2020 noch am Widerstand der USA zu scheitern drohte, schmieden das Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und die Betreiber der Gas-Pipeline einen riskanten Plan. Die Warnungen vor...

www.sueddeutsche.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

7 months

Sylke Tempel (2012) zum "Prinzip Lüders": "Alles wird so verdreht, dass es in sein Weltbild der bösen🇮🇱+🇺🇸Kriegshetzer+des armen, rein defensiven🇮🇷passt. Das ist schnell durchschaut, rätselhaft bleibt nur, wie er sich den Ruf eines 'Experten' erworben" hat

Hamas attackiert Israel: "Hochbrisante und gefährliche Situation"

Der Gegenschlag Israels werde kommen, sagt Nahost-Experte Michael Lüders nach dem Großangriff der Hamas. "Es wird zu einer Eskalation kommen."

www.zdf.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

9/ Fourth, lack of historical awareness. The speech portrays a glorious time of peace and cooperation that was abruptly ended with Putin’s aggression. No mention that the new age was long in coming and🇩🇪chose to ignore it for years and against all warnings by its allies.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

4/ Steinmeier does not mince words about Putin’s “imperial obsession”. Germans needed to hear from their head of state that the world is in "a phase of confrontation” – and that🇩🇪cannot wean itself out of it. His support for the investment program for the Armed Forces is strong.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

2/ Steinmeier does what🇩🇪 leading politicians (exception: Robert Habeck) have avoided doing so far: saying out loud that the tailwinds which🇩🇪has felt since 1990 have been replaced by headwinds. The times of the peace dividend are over. Every citizen will feel it.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

6/ What could possibly be wrong with such a strong performance? First, timing. What took Steinmeier so long? Had he followed up on Scholz’ “Zeitenwende” speech to provide context, he would have made a mark. 8 months later, the speech represents caution rather than strength.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

3/ This speech was necessary. It prepares citizens for the moment when economic hardship can no longer be compensated by the government. That moment will come soon.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"Hic Rhodos, hic salto", says Scholz in Parliament. He wants those in🇪🇺that pushed hardest for🇩🇪to deliver tanks to contribute themselves. Well, 🇵🇱acts faster than Scholz can speak, pledges 60 tanks - on top of 14 Leo2s and on top of 250 tanks previously

Poland to send 60 modernised tanks to Ukraine in addition to Leopards

Poland will send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine on top of the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged, the Polish prime minister said in an interview with Canadian television on...

www.reuters.com

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

7/ Second, lack of urgency. Being late itself, the speech conveys no sense of immediacy of the impending change. No call to speed things up.🇩🇪incrementalism drives foreigners nuts anyway, this speech will be no exception: come back in a decade, and you might see the change.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

10/ Fifth, no self-critique. Steinmeier acknowledges his own role in leading into a foreign policy mega-crash only indirectly. And only in the form of disappointed hopes, not errant assessments. No demand for larger reassessments and investigations into spying and corruption.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

2 days in Latvia, one theme: "We have a 🇩🇪 problem" - "Can we trust 🇩🇪?" A history of unfulfilled hopes, of disbelief about NS2 and the undercut 2% commitment, is now culmitating in the disappoitment about the lack of German decisiveness on🇺🇦. Hard to explain Germany here.

Andrew A. Michta

@andrewmichta

2 years

“What we are seeing in Germany is the first mega crash of policy. A U-turn.” ⁦ @KleineBrockhoff ⁩ #RigaConf2022 ⁦ @Marshall_Center ⁩

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

11/ Sixth, sugar-coating. No mention of the loss of trust in🇩🇪 by its most important allies, not just because of its past Russia-policy but because of its tepid and contradictory response since. How to become the Europ. leader that Steinmeier wants🇩🇪 to be if it lacks followers?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

12/ Seventh, incoherence on 🇨🇳. He remarks on 🇨🇳 dark role in the “phase of confrontation”. But no mention of systemic competition. No analysis what the 🇨🇳🇷🇺partnership means for democracies. Instead, a warning against a new block confrontation. What is it, Mr. President?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

8/ Third, little agenda for change. That🇩🇪 needs a new economic model, is – in Steinmeier’s thinking – limited to changes that climate change imposes. No agenda for innovation, nothing on exports, nothing on energy intensive industries. Instead: redistribution and social justice

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

9 months

This logic needs expansion: no ATACAMS, no F-16, no add. tanks, no reaction to dam destruction, no red line after end of grain deal. It's Western self limitation writ large, not deferred NATO invitation per se, that emboldens Putin. And self limitation has reasons. It's a dilemma

Leo Litra

@LeonidL

9 months

NATO decision not to invite Ukraine in Vilnius is backfiring. russia is increasing its war of attrition since they interpreted the NATO decision as a green light to to do so. What lessons do we learn for the next summit in Washington?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

8./ Danger of a nuclear war is less of a topic of conversation that it is west of 🇺🇦. Ukrainians seem to be tired of being afraid. They are convinced they will fight on even if Putin were to drop a tactical nuke.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

"Kanada kündigt die Lieferung schwerer Artillerie in die Ukraine an": Da sollte sich der Bundeskanzler aber mal erkundigen. Immer diese Alleingänge in der NATO.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"Charles de Gaulle burnished his own delusions of strategic autonomy in the 1960s. When the general phoned Lyndon Johnson, requesting that he remove 🇺🇸troops from🇫🇷soil, the🇺🇸president is said to have replied: 'Does that include those buried in it?'"

The Times & The Sunday Times

News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times

www.thetimes.co.uk

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Across from Bayrischer Hof: the way MSC welcomes its guests

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

In an OpEd, Macron+Scholz outline 7 goals for🇪🇺. Their text starts with a telling misconception: "In 2022, Russia brought war back to Europe." After a yr. of war+debate, they still overlook 2008+2014: this is why CEE are troubled by ideas of🇫🇷🇩🇪leadership

Gastbeitrag von Kanzler Scholz und Präsident Macron | Bundesregierung

Deutschland und Frankreich – Unser Europa für die nächste Generation gestalten. Gastbeitrag von Kanzler Scholz und Frankreichs Präsident Macron aus der FAZ zum Nachlesen.

www.bundesregierung.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Focus magazine reports, the tax official was afraid of political pressure. That can't be true, right? Wouldn't happen in🇩🇪, would it?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

🇩🇪braucht die Vergangenheitsbewältigung der Vergangenheitsbewältigung. Irgendwas ist ja da wohl schief gelaufen mit den Lehren aus dem 2. Weltkrieg.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

8 months

The trend continues:🇪🇺leads🇺🇸on🇺🇦aid by a large and growing margin. 🇪🇺also caught up with🇺🇸in military aid commitments.🇩🇪now accounts for almost half of🇪🇺's heavy weapon deliveries. The planned new🇺🇸aid package could change picture yet again.

Christoph Trebesch

@Ch_Trebesch

8 months

📢 New update of our Ukraine Support Tracker. The big news: Europe overtakes the US by a large margin (total EU now 2x US). If we add UK, NOR, CH, then US commitments are only 45% of Europe’s (€70 bn vs €156 bn). This is a major shift compared to first year of war. A thread 1/7

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

New details every day: it seems Gazprom's influence on the sham "climate foundation" was larger than Gov. Schwesig's team admitted, "Welt am Sonntag" reports: Gazprom's lawfirm appears to have written the draft bylaws of Schwesig's NS2 promotion vehicle.

CDU fordert Rücktritt von „Gazprom-Trickserin“ Schwesig - Russischer Einfluss auf Klimastiftung -...

Die Landesregierung von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wollte mit der Klimastiftung den Bau der umstrittenen Gas-Pipeline Nord Stream 2 vorantreiben. Der Einfluss des Kreml auf die Satzung war womöglich...

www.welt.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

A majority of Germans supports the decision of the 🇩🇪government to deliver MBTs to🇺🇦. Interesting because the government had not been making the case for tanks, but had communicated doubts and reservations - before it decided

Mehrheit für Leopard-2-Lieferung an Ukraine

Eine Mehrheit der Deutschen befürwortet den Entschluss zur Lieferung von Leopard-2-Panzern an die Ukraine. Das zeigt das aktuelle Politbarometer.

www.zdf.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Two sentences from the annual report of Eva Högl, the 🇩🇪Armed Forces' Military Commissioner: "There is nothing the Bundeswehr has enough of." "Not a cent of last year's special investment fund has reached the Armed Forces yet".

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Consequence of war: a leaderless Europe, an E-0 continent: 🇫🇷 wants to lead but can't: 🇩🇪 can but won't; both have lost the trust of the Eastern Europe which believes its time has come. But 🇵🇱 cannot lead because of democratic decline and 🇺🇦 will be poor and unstable. And now?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Unnoticed by the public+just in time for the🇪🇺🇺🇦 summit, big progress was made last week on🇺🇦reconstruction planning. White smoke: G7 have agreed on governance of donor coordination platform, first meeting was held. Progress report🧵: structure, finances, challenges, agenda 1/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

Es ist die offene Militarisierung des weltpolitischen Umfeldes, @merkel_wolfgang , die ursächlich dafür ist, dass auch friedliebende Demokratien sich anschicken, besser abzuschrecken. Die Sprache benennt diese Fakten. Würden Sie diese Realität lieber verschleiern?

wolfgang merkel

@merkel_wolfgang

6 months

Begriffswenden: Es setzt sich eine klammheimliche Militarisierung unserer Diskurse durch. Die "wehrhafte Demokratie" soll deren Probleme lösen. Damit nicht genug: D. soll eine "wehrhafte Nation" und " #kriegst üchtig" werden. Die Eindimensionalität des Denkens setzt sich durch.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

Make no mistake: Trump II will be very different than even Trump I. It will include an immediate politicisation of the judiciary and a vendetta against perceived enemies. Revenge and personal loyalty will be key concepts of the authoritarian turn of🇺🇸.

Trump and allies plot revenge, Justice Department control in a second term

Advisers have also discussed deploying the military to quell potential unrest on Inauguration Day. Critics have called the ideas under consideration dangerous and unconstitutional.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Some of them overlook that Brandt's "detente" was grounded in nearly 4% defense spending and based on an 🇺🇸nuclear umbrella. 6/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Do I agree with this approach? No, I don't. On several grounds: it misunderstands the nature of power, the logic of war, the mindset of Putin, and the path to settlement and peace. 11/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

There are more questions: why is this a regional, not a national scandal? Why is the ambition to investigate limited? Why no criminal investigation? Why did the federal gov. fail to step in even though cabinet members were skeptical? Why is the governor's career unharmed? /3

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

🇵🇱Deputy FM said today that 🇩🇪 treats 🇵🇱 as a "vassal state" - and has done so "since 1990" (earlier quote). "🇩🇪 is not pursuing a friendly policy towards 🇵🇱, they want to expand their sphere of influence here". Quite a New Year's greeting among allies! A little 🧵

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

2 days of mtgs in Kyiv: the mood in 🇺🇦, victory, 🇷🇺’s options, the nuclear danger, the economy, postwar recovery and the development of 🇺🇦 society - impressions from a @GMF exploratory study tour with @baranowski , @mprochwicz , @IgnatiusPost in this 🧵

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

As a foreign+security policy hand, I am concerned that this approach undermines 🇩🇪leverage, even on unrelated questions. It will lead to a loss of power and influence. Actually, it already has. 12/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

17./ Therefore, tolerance of others is increasing. 🇺🇦 is moving West. Support for the EU and NATO continue to grow. As a result of the war, 🇺🇦 seems to embrace liberalism and internationalism, not nationalism and isolationism. END

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Gestern Abend im "Heute Journal": im Bericht über🇬🇪war die Rede von den "abtrünnigen Provinzen" Abchasien und Süd-Ossetien. Wann lernen wir endlich, dass es sich um "von 🇷🇺 besetzte Landesteile" handelt? #Georgien #Georgia

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

@JohannesVarwick Sie missverstehen die russischen Kriegsmotive, Herr Warwick: es handelt sich um einen Re-Kolonisierungskrieg einer autoritären Macht. Das hat mehr mit Peter dem Großen als mit der NATO zu tun, wie uns Herr Putin in seinem Reden zur Begründung des Krieges selbst mitgeteilt hat.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

Today @bundeskanzler 🇩🇪 and @vonderleyen 🇪🇺 host an expert conference on #UkraineRecovery in Berlin. A 🧵 on how we got here, what to expect and what 🇺🇦 needs. [1/12]

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

Multiple participants very interviewed, many documents reviewed, but there is still no clear answer how all of this could have happened. @SZ offers two theories: did the state government just "brazenly act on economic self interest?" Or did it "act on behalf of the Kremlin?" /2

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

They find this self-reassurance of their own peaceful intentions more important than the 🇩🇪 foreign policy embarrassment that comes with constantly saying "no" before saying "yes." 10/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

Heute, BBC Radio Interview mit John Spencer, Urban Warfare Expert at Westpoint. Gedächtnisprotokoll: 500 km Tunnel unter Gaza, eine Stadt unter der Stadt, genannt "The Gaza Metro", 5 bis 50 Meter tief, damit nicht von Bomben zu erreichen. 🧵1/5

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

7 months

Has the Polish Deputy FM ever said something positive about Germany?Or are we to assume his relentless, unending critique of Germany has something systematic about it? And the machinegun speed of the critique these days is unconnected to the election, right?

Arkadiusz Mularczyk

@arekmularczyk

7 months

I agree, saving lives is incredibly important. But is the German government transparent about its role? Has the German government openly stated where its financially supported NGOs are taking the saved immigrants? Why is the German government complaining about 268 visas in Poland…

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

12 out of 28🇵🇱MIG-29 jets have been imported from🇩🇪and need a re-export licence to be passed on to🇺🇦. Yet,🇵🇱seems to have only informed🇺🇸, not🇩🇪. Are these "other" planes or is this a continuation of PIS-brinksmanship that we know from the tank debate?/1

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"Throughout the Cold War, 🇩🇪's involvement with NATO was driven by a strategy to take advantage of the protection the alliance afforded, delivering no more than the absolute minimum." Really? 500k soldiers, 7.000 tanks. Start researching, Matt @Politico !

Germany’s strategic timidity

Washington knows Berlin might be a bad ally, but at least it’s America’s bad ally.

www.politico.eu

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

As a cover up, the foundation supported environmental projects. Its name was "Climate and Environmental Foundation". It clearly violated the spirit of the law on foundations. They enjoy tax privileges because they engage in projects to advance the public good. /5

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

They also overlook that Brandt, as mayor of West-Berlin when the wall was built, was a hawk who saw Kennedy as a dove. His "Ostpolitik" initially wanted to induce a "change" in Eastern Europe and East 🇩🇪 that Brandt did not believe 🇺🇸 was willing to stand for. 7/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

My guess: Scholz will come around. He can do more even within the constraints of his party's traditions and within the confines of consultations with🇺🇸. I wonder whether Scholz will insist on agreement with🇺🇸in the same way once a more hawkish🇺🇸president takes office one day. END

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

To recap: When🇺🇸threatened secondary sanctions, Gov Schwesig decided to circumvent sanctions by creating a foundation, funded by the state (Euro 200 k) and NordStream AG (Euro 20m). Its task was to finish the pipeline while avoiding sanctions when working as a foundation. /4

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

What's wrong with a ceasefire and brokering a solution? Which solution? This war is not solely about Ukraine. Putin is waging a neoimperial war with the ultimate goal of pushing the U.S. out of Europe. The invasion of Ukraine is a first step towards replacing the American

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

While I accept 🇩🇪 not being a leader on all things military, I do not like to see 🇩🇪 as a laggard. On 🐆, it all depends on 🇩🇪. There is no hiding. And it seems, chancellor Scholz is hiding behind perceived or exaggerated 🇺🇸concerns, especially behind President Biden. 16/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

“The world’s best and brightest” ( @bundeskanzler ) came to Berlin for the #RecoveryOfUkraine “expert conference” to engage in “prudent preparation” ( @bundeskanzler ) for🇺🇦reconstruction. @bundeskanzler and co-host @vonderleyen wanted to listen. What did they hear? A 12-part🧵

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

An 🇺🇸 President will say: "All options are on the table." A 🇩🇪 chancellor will say: "Our path to a solution is diplomacy. But diplomacy also has to work." Essentially, they are saying the same thing, but to different audiences with different political cultures. 3/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

She opposes the LNG terminal (as does much of the local population) on environmental grounds while she had no environmental concerns about a pipeline gas port in pretty much the same location. Go figure. /13

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Fast forward to 🐆deliveries to 🇺🇦: Social Dems need to reassure their own constituency that they have resisted long enough, have tried all other avenues before one of their own, the chancellor, consents and accepts the ugly reality. 9/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

Well, maybe there is an explanation: the pipeline was supposed to bring 🇷🇺gas, in the LNG port a solid percentage of the gas will come from🇺🇸which will be liquified there. But likely this is just an unjustified insinuation.... END

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

The best way to get to the "immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce" that 120 nations called for at the UN tonight, would be to ask Hamas to put down their weapons and release all hostages. Why is hardly anyone putting pressure on Hamas?

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Today,🇵🇱has asked🇩🇪for a re-export licence to send 5 Soviet era MIG-29 jets from East🇩🇪stock to🇺🇦. Within hours the request was granted. No drama, no accusations. Well prepared+without all of us on Twitter knowing about it. Normal conduct among allies. Just saying.

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

12 out of 28🇵🇱MIG-29 jets have been imported from🇩🇪and need a re-export licence to be passed on to🇺🇦. Yet,🇵🇱seems to have only informed🇺🇸, not🇩🇪. Are these "other" planes or is this a continuation of PIS-brinksmanship that we know from the tank debate?/1

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Post WWII🇩🇪 will want to make sure that all, really all avenues have been explored, all options are exhausted before the use of force is even contemplated. 4/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

9 months

"Make Europe pay!" is the battle cry that comes out of the #USCongress when it comes to aiding #Ukraine . Well, check the new numbers:🇪🇺is leading🇺🇸on🇺🇦 aid and even on NATO burden sharing🇪🇺is beginning to pull its weight. See story in @thehill

On NATO’s shared burdens, Europe is finally starting to pull its weight

According to new data, European countries are now spending more than the U.S. on Ukraine. And European NATO members are also spending significantly more on their own defense as well.

thehill.com

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

There are many lessons to draw from this debacle: not least about the power of Russophilia and, at the same time, Anti-Americanism in🇩🇪. It is also a cautionary tale about the unindented consequences of secondary sanctions on allies. /10

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

There are🇩🇪s, and then there are SPD-followers. They see the SPD as a "peace party" in the tradition of Willy Brandt. They want🇩🇪to ensure escalation is avoided. They want🇩🇪to always bet on a solution by dialogue. To them, "detente" is the🇨🇭army knife of🇩🇪foreign policy.5/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

I am certainly not interested. Staying in the middle of the Western convoi is an insurance policy against some other traits in 🇩🇪 political culture. 15/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Are you interested in 🇩🇪 being more hawkish? Are you interested in 🇩🇪moving faster on all things military without consulting with🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷 first, without staying in the middle of the pack? Really? 14/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

@akuchenbecker29 @jgotkowska @nicolange_ @jan_techau @ConStelz @gmfus @HConleyGMF @mkimmage @martinklin @ulrichspeck @ronja_ga @bruceestokes @jfkirkegaard @M_Baranowski @StevenErlanger @IvoHDaalder @JoshRudes @andrewmichta

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"Zeitenwende" is a joke? A sham? No real change of mind? Here is Eva Högl, Military Commissioner, an SPD-ally of Olaf Scholz in "Frankfurter Allgemeine" asking for more money, much more money: "It would take 300 billion euros to make significant changes in the Bundeswehr." 1/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

And it may not be a coincidence that the use of "environmentalism" to hide other motives continues. Chancellor Scholz plans an LNG terminal just miles from where NS2 ended onshore. Gov. Schwesig supported the former and opposes the latter. Why? /12

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

NordStream AG - and thus Putin's🇷🇺 - were heavily involved in setting up the legal structure and in preparing answers to potentially critical questions. /6

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

7 months

War Adenauers Westkurs und Ablehnung der Stalin-Note eine Fehlentscheidung? Der Revisionist @MPKretschmer sollte auch die Stalin-Note 2.0 wohlwollend prüfen, nämlich Putin's Vorschlag vom 17.12.21, 🇺🇸Nuklearwaffen aus🇪🇺abzuziehen und den🇺🇸Nuklearschirm gegen einen🇷🇺 zu ersetzen

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

In many countries, governing politicians need to appear strong when it comes to their willingness to defend against a perceived foreign threat. 2/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

10 months

"If 🇵🇱were not part of the single market, Poland's GDP per capita would be 31% lower." - How will the Euroskeptics in the PIS government receive this report by the🇵🇱Economic Institute ? 1/2

Without EU membership, Poland's GDP per capita would be 31% lower - Polish Economic Institute

Download the report (PDF) Download the press release (PDF)

pie.net.pl

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

George HW Bush brilliantly managed 1989 as🇺🇸 President. His vision of "Europe whole and free" remains unfulfilled. His statue was unveiled in Berlin today, the city that owes so much to him. His then-aide Bob Zoellick spoke, among others.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

This story is far from over. Too much smoke for there not to be fire. /9

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

@NordStream2 AG lawyers even offered the state government language to respond to critical questions. Example: "Has @NordStream2 AG bought the state for its own purposes?" /7

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Rare insight into Blinken's thinking on🇺🇦's future security and deterrence of🇷🇺, by the excellent D. Ignatius: (a)"🇷🇺should not be able to rest, regroup and reattack"; (b) "🇺🇦territorial integrity" remains goal; (c) equip🇺🇦for deterrence, but not in NATO

Opinion | Blinken ponders the post-Ukraine-war order

Efforts to build Kyiv military capacity are both about the current fight and what comes after

www.washingtonpost.com

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

But I would like to ask 🇩🇪's friends and partners: do you pound on 🇩🇪because🇩🇪 does not do what you want it to do? Or because you would like to see this political culture changed? 13/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

Today's Social Dems are at least as status quo minded as the country became in 1990 when unification satisfied revisionist aspirations. 8/

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

Wie verhindert man, dass die Tunnel wieder herstellt werden? Idee, die Spencer gehört hat: horizontale Bohrungen von der Seeseite her, um die Tunnel zu fluten und Reparatur unmöglich zu machen. Was für ein Wahnsinn, das alles: Tunnel-System wie Zerstörung dieses Systems. 5/5 END

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

15./ The war has produced a civic spirit. Sociologists point out that 🇷🇺 and 🇺🇦, both post-Soviet societies, move into different directions. While 🇷🇺 is headed toward archaism, UKR is embracing modernism, also as a means of putting as much distance as possible between it and 🇷🇺

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"I clearly associate myself with the wish for peace. But peace at the expense of the attacked - just because we feel uncomfortable, just because we would rather not supply arms, just because someone is afraid - I'm sorry, that's not possible ... 1/

Markus Lanz vom 22. Februar 2023

Zu Gast: Politiker Boris Pistorius

www.zdf.de

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

7./ It is widely believed that, after the war, strength is 🇺🇦's best security guarantee. The West would need to guarantee arms shipments, advanced technology and help 🇺🇦 developed its military industrial base. Eventually, NATO membership would answer all questions.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

NS2 supporters sprang into action to circumvent potential sanctions, even with dubious means. NS2 opponents fell silent because they believed,🇺🇸ought not to use coercive means to influence an allies' behaviour. ("We would like to commit our own mistakes"). Sovereignty matters /11

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

🇬🇪is🇪🇺,🇬🇪is not🇷🇺. The people are speaking, loud and clear. 🇺🇸+🇪🇺stand with the🇬🇪people. Who does the🇩🇪government stand with? Any opinions on the Putinesque "foreign agents" law? Speak up, 🇩🇪! This is the moment.

Alex Raufoglu

@ralakbar

1 year

BREAKING: U.S. says 'stands with Georgian people' "We are standing with the people of Georgia and the aspirations that they have," State Department Spox tells me. #GeorgiaIsEurope

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

"Honesty demands to recognise that we should have delivered Marder tanks since last spring. Our restraint had zero deescalatory effect on the Kremlin; their goal continues to be the subjugation of 🇺🇦 - a bitter lesson for the future." R.Wagener, chairman,🇩🇪-🇺🇦 Parliamentary Group

Robin Wagener

@robinwagener

1 year

Zur Wahrheit gehört heute auch, dass wir den Marder schon seitdem Frühjahr hätten liefern müssen. Unsere Zurückhaltung hatte leider keinerlei deeskalierenden Effekt auf den Kreml, dessen Ziel weiterhin die Unterwerfung der 🇺🇦 bleibt – das ist die bittere Lehre für die Zukunft.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

7 months

"Germany becomes the scapegoat in Poland's bitter election campaign" Good @FT summary of all the innuendo, the stoking of resentment and the weaponisation of guilt.

Germany becomes scapegoat in Poland’s bitter election campaign

Anti-German rhetoric is aimed at discrediting Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk

www.ft.com

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

11 months

Proposed answer: "No. @NordStream2 AG has engaged in multiple environmental projects in the whole Baltic Sea region. This commitment continues here." /8

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

6 months

Einige scheinen dies partout übersehen oder vergessen zu wollen👇

Botschaft Israel

@IsraelinGermany

6 months

"Wisse, dass dein Feind eine Krankheit ist, für die es kein anderes Heilmittel gibt als die Enthauptung und die Entnahme der Herzen und Lebern!" Diese Notiz wurde bei einem Hamas-Terroristen aus dem Massaker vom 7. Oktober gefunden. Sie wurde ihm von Hamas-Kommandeuren in Gaza…

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

1 year

#Leopard #FreeTheLeopards #StandWithUkraine

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

It is also morally the right choice because allowing Russia to regroup will cost even more lives. Putin sees this war as an existentiell struggle during which he has achieved none of his goals so far.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

10./ Life in Kyiv is eerily normal: On beautiful fall days, people are sitting outside in cafes. There are few indications that this is the capitol of a country at war. Kyiv is not militarized. Hardly any visibly armed personnel around. The spirit is civil and relaxed.

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Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff

@KleineBrockhoff

2 years

5./ The war goal is now full territorial integrity. Unclear whether even Zelensky would have enough clout to convince 🇺🇦 of anything less in the name of saving lives. Territorial compromise would be seen as an attempt of 🇷🇺 to buy time to rearm. Only full victory would save lives

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