The German government should accept the proposal of the American side and discuss with Washington the withdrawal of the US military contingent from Germany. This was stated by the leader of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag, Dietmar Barch, commenting on the threats that were voiced the day before by the US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell.

Recall, the American diplomat said that the Pentagon can transfer part of its troops from Germany to Poland due to the fact that Berlin has not yet increased defense spending to 2% of GDP.

“It’s just insulting - taxpayers in the United States continue to pay for 50 thousand American soldiers in Germany, and the Germans still allow trade profits to be used for domestic purposes,” the diplomat said.

  • Leader of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag Dietmar Barch
  • Reuters
  • © Fabrizio Bensch

However, the Left Party of Germany only welcomed such a proposal.

“US taxpayers are not required to pay for American soldiers in Germany,” said Dietmar Barch, adding that the US budget should not be spent on deploying US nuclear weapons in Germany.

“If the Americans withdraw their troops, then they should take with them their nuclear missiles. And of course, they should take them home, and not to Poland, otherwise it will lead to a sharp deterioration in relations with Russia, which contradicts the interests of Germany and Europe, ”the chairman of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag emphasized.

In turn, political scientists believe that such value judgments by German politicians have every reason.

“Any coin has two sides. And what some call security assistance, others may consider occupation. In addition, there are obvious attempts by Washington to influence the internal affairs of Germany. Ambassador Grenell has repeatedly spoken on a variety of topics, including Nord Stream 2 and the purchase of American weapons, ”Kirill Koktysh, MGIMO Associate Professor, commented in RT commentary.

“Intimidation tactics”

In 2014, the Alliance member countries pledged to raise their defense spending to 2% of GDP over 10 years - Washington successfully lobbied for the initiative. Nevertheless, the current head of the White House, Donald Trump, has repeatedly accused the US partners in NATO of not wanting to spend money on defense and the desire to shift these costs onto the shoulders of American taxpayers. The most serious complaints were made to Berlin, which was in no hurry to fulfill its financial obligations under the alliance. For its part, the leadership of Germany announced that it plans to increase defense spending gradually.

  • Bundestag
  • Reuters
  • © Hannibal Hanschke

It is worth noting that the largest American contingent in Europe is deployed in Germany - about 35 thousand troops and about 17 thousand civilians working at US bases.

According to Kirill Koktysh, despite all the statements about the "debt" of Germany, the US understands that it is they who primarily benefit from this situation.

“At the same time, Trump also expects to shift the costs of maintaining this contingent to the Allies,” the expert emphasized.

At the same time, the indignation of the American leader causes the behavior of the FRG authorities. In an interview with Fox Business, Trump accused Berlin of avoiding increasing defense spending, but paying billions of dollars for Russia’s energy, NATO’s “potential adversary.”

“Positioning Russia as a potential enemy that is about to become real is an old propaganda song by the NATO leadership, which is also supported by militarists inside the FRG,” Leonid Polyakov, head of the Department of General Political Science at the Higher School of Economics, explained in a commentary to RT.

According to him, globally, this rhetoric is only part of Washington’s strategy, which is trying to oust Russia from all spheres.

“Within the framework of this policy, Russia is deliberately“ demonized ”. This is a scare tactic. And the presence of the US military in Germany is only an element of such a policy. But German society already understands the essence of what is happening, ”the expert said.

Another reason to declare the “duty” of Berlin to Washington for the American side was Germany’s refusal to join the mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz under the auspices of the United States, directed against Iran.

In turn, the United States Ambassador to Germany, commenting on this decision, said that the United States donated "a lot to help Germany remain part of the West."

“At present, 34 thousand of our troops are deployed in Germany - this is billions of dollars spent by the American people,” the diplomat emphasized.

However, many residents of Germany would only welcome the deliverance of the country from American military "assistance." This opinion is held not only in the Left Party of Germany, but also in the right “Alternative for Germany” (AdG). As a deputy from ADG, a member of the Bundestag’s committee on international affairs, Waldemar Gerdt, said in May of this year, the party plans to raise the question of the legality of the presence of US military bases in the country.

“US military bases are not an alliance, but an occupation. Take, for example, the same Ramstein airbase in Germany. Not a single German citizen can enter there. Not even the police can. What is being done inside, we do not understand and do not know. Materials, products and equipment are imported there, but we do not control this process. We do not know what lies there. And this is no longer a partnership, ”the politician said in an interview with Izvestia.

“Just the beginning of the process”

According to experts, the true nature of German-American relations is perfectly illustrated by the story of wiretapping of the German Chancellor by the US secret services.

The scandal erupted in 2013 - after the German government received information that US intelligence agencies could track Angela Merkel’s mobile phone. The starting point for this statement was the information received by the media from former CIA officer Edward Snowden. Presumably, specialists from the US National Security Agency (NSA) connected to the Nokia 6260 phone, which the Chancellor used in 2009-2013.

  • Angela Merkel
  • Reuters
  • © Fabrizio Bensch

After these data were obtained, the German Prosecutor General's Office launched a procedure for collecting information from departments of the Federal Republic of Germany, which could have information on this issue. However, in 2015, the investigation was closed due to the fact that the German Prosecutor General’s Office was unable to obtain the original NSA documents that would confirm the fact of surveillance.

At the same time, experts admit that to wiretap the phones of European politicians, the NSA could well use the ECHELON system (US global electronic intelligence system - RT ), which was deployed in the territory of allied countries.

“She could give the Americans a lot of classified information about all the leading politicians. Perhaps there are some facts, the publication of which could have compromised Merkel, ”Polyakov believes. “Therefore, as long as those people who could listen in power are in power in Germany, one cannot expect decisive steps from Berlin.”

In addition, as analysts note, the way military-political relations between Washington and Berlin are taking shape today is largely due to historical reasons.

Recall that after the Second World War, the territory of Germany was divided into four occupation zones, which were controlled by the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France. Subsequently, Washington and London began to form a new quasi-state entity in the reporting territories - Trison, which became Germany.

These actions were regarded by Moscow and part of German society as an attempt to block the creation of all-German legitimate authorities and a single demilitarized German state. According to historians, Washington planned to turn Germany not into a neutral state, but into an ally in the fight against the USSR.

“The presence of American military bases in Germany is, of course, the vestige of the Cold War, when the world was divided in half,” Leonid Polyakov said in an interview with RT.

Given that Moscow withdrew the contingent from eastern Germany at the time, and the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist decades ago, the Germans would inevitably have doubts as to whether it was justified that foreign troops were still located on their territory, the expert said.

“In German society, it really wakes up to the realization that the world has changed, and to allow the deployment of a foreign army in the country is the same as signing that the FRG is not a sovereign state. Such statements, which sound both from the right and from the left in Germany, are only the beginning of the process, ”Polyakov believes.

A similar point of view is shared by Kirill Koktysh.

“Germany may someday take advantage of the proposal made by the Americans in a rush, but not in today's conditions. It’s too early to talk about it yet, ”the expert summed up.