Reply #9: Germans anti-war? Not really ... [View All]

Stroebele is the most prominent anti-war voice in Parliament. He and a handful of dissenters opposed the Afghanistan mission from the start, causing a coalition crisis. Finally they caved in, however, and voted for it.

The Green party establishment then tried to prevent Stroebele's reelection to parliament. Even though he then proceeded to win the first "direct mandate" for Greens ever, supported by a local chapter and large parts of the non-Green electorate in Berlin, he has only very limited influence, his post as "vice-chairman" of the small Green faction notwithstanding.

Christa Nickels, also a prominent Green MoP, just recently recommended an additional force of 5 to 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. This concurs with the current German ISAF commander's rough estimate of 10,000 troops needed to widen their presence to regions outside of Kabul. Critical voices in the German army are mostly concernced with the current lack of "robustness" of the forces. With more armoured vehicles and heavy weapons, they will subside.

On Monday, NATO will take over ISAF command, ending the "endlessly changing of the command" (Robertson), and putting in charge a German general, again.

Rest assured that the Germans will not miss out on this chance to reestablish themselves as a "reliable ally" in the war-n-terra.

The German minister of war, Struck, already hinted that - as part of a possible NATO force - Germans may well be obliged to play some role in Iraq...