Break Merkel’s diplomatic legacy or follow in her footsteps: The two favored successors, ecologist Ms. Annalena Baerbock Baerbock and conservative Armin Laschet Laschet, have deep differences, according to AFP, especially on Russia and China.
With five months to go before the election that will end the Merkel era, the two candidates, both staunchly Eurosceptic, are neck and neck in the polls. Barring huge surprises, either Ms. Berbock, 40, or Mr. Raschett, 60, will take the helm in Germany this fall. But they have at least one other thing in common: they are both considered to have no international diplomatic experience, despite having served in the European Parliament, according to AFP.
Armin Laschet, who made the diplomatic proposal on Wednesday, was a member of parliament in Strasbourg at the beginning of the 21st century. And his opponent was also an assistant to a Green Party MP from 2005 to 2008. But is that enough to negotiate with Putin or Xi Jinping on behalf of Europe’s major economic powers?
According to the report, the relationship with Moscow and Beijing is a major difference between the two candidates.
From the annexation of Crimea to cyber attacks blamed on Moscow and the poisoning of opponent Alexei Navalny, exchanges between Putin and Russian-speaking Merkel have been fraught with turmoil. But the two leaders, who have had 16 years of international dealings, continue to stand firmly behind the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between the two countries.
But Babcock does not want the pipeline because she believes it undermines sanctions against Russia and poses a threat to the environment. More broadly, in an April 24 interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the candidate expressed her ambition to propose “a different approach to dictatorships,” a “key issue” for Germany’s future, its “security” and “values.
“Thorsten Benner, director of the Institute for Global Public Policy, confirmed to AFP that “Berbock has taken a clear critical stance against autocrats, whether against the Kremlin or Beijing.
But Lashert has long been seen as a strong supporter of rapprochement with Moscow and supported Nord Stream 2. In 2018, he even questioned the allegation that Russian agents were involved in the attempted poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Britain. He attacked the West’s so-called “anti-Putin populism” over Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since then, he has taken a firmer stance against Moscow in both the Skripal and Navalny cases.
According to AFP, China is another fundamental point of confrontation between the two succession favorites. Mr. Raschett also aligns himself with Mrs. Merkel, who has been keen for years to make Germany a point of cooperation in China after negotiating an investment deal between Beijing and the EU at the end of 2020.
However, according to Benner’s comments, the conservative candidate is “increasingly talking about competition between systems” when referring to Beijing. Belbock said she is aware of the fact that China is “such an important emerging economic force that we cannot completely disengage from it. However, Europe must be able to have a direct dialogue and discussion with China.
She denounced on April 24 that in the EU-China agreement, which was suspended in early May, “the European side has not adequately addressed the issue of forced labor in relation to the oppressed Uighur minority” and that its production should be banned in Europe. Ms. Barbourk also warned that Chinese companies such as Huawei could transfer European data to China.
The Green Party co-leader shares the same firm stance as U.S. President Joe Biden on Beijing and Moscow. However, she believes that the goal of NATO members to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024 is “absurd,” especially in times of economic crisis. She opposes nuclear deterrence.
According to an analysis by Thorsten Benner, director of the Institute for Global Public Policy, Mr. Raschett favors “a 2 percent target, [Germany’s] purchase of armed drones and arms exports, which is different from Belbock.” The green candidate is willing to increase the army’s budget and modernize its equipment after more than 20 years of green light from German ecologists in favor of the Bundeswehr’s participation in the intervention in Kosovo.
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