Rolf Mützenich did not quietly say “Servus” to the outgoing Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer from the CDU.

On the contrary.

Shortly before her departure from big politics - she resigns from her Bundestag mandate - the SPD parliamentary group leader, actually known for his politeness, roughly drove the CDU woman into the parade.

Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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Her latest mental games on the use of nuclear weapons in a conflict with Russia are “irresponsible”, and she is no better than the Russians with their “equally unfounded threats,” said Mützenich of the German press agency.

He appealed to the minister not to “burden the policy of a new federal government”.

What happened?

Mützenich responded at the weekend to an interview that the minister gave to Deutschlandfunk on Thursday.

It was about Russia's aggressive policy towards NATO.

Kramp-Karrenbauer said that NATO had to "make it very clear" to Moscow that it was also prepared to use nuclear weapons if the worst came to the worst.

A social democratic attitude towards life

That is the meaning of the deterrent doctrine - "also to use such means so that it has a deterrent effect beforehand and nobody gets the idea of ​​attacking the areas over the Baltic States or NATO partners in the Black Sea". The minister referred to violations of the airspace over the Baltic NATO states by Russia and to "increasing attacks around the Black Sea".

Mützenich accused Kramp-Karrenbauer of turning the "escalation screw" and went into the nuclear weapons in Germany.

It is "a mystery to him whether the minister has also thought of the nuclear weapons still stored in Germany".

At the Büchel Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate there are probably still 20 atomic bombs.

In the event of an emergency, they should be thrown from the Bundeswehr's tornado fighter jets.

That is what is known as Germany's nuclear participation within NATO.

But why the fuss?

Actually, Kramp-Karrenbauer had only said familiar things.

Deterrence only works if the potential enemy knows that the other side is ready to use the weapons - otherwise they would not be deterred.

This does not contradict arms control, disarmament and diplomatic peace policy.

It is considered a prerequisite for this.

Traffic lights must position themselves for nuclear participation

In the SPD parliamentary group, it is said that Mützenich was annoyed that the minister was making a name for herself with her statements shortly before she left.

But that's only one aspect of the story.

Mützenich relies on diplomacy more than others in peace policy.

This has been the case at least since his doctoral thesis, with which he received his doctorate at the University of Bremen in 1991.

It is entitled "Nuclear Weapon Free Zones and International Politics - Historical Experiences, Framework Conditions, Perspectives".

With his attitude towards nuclear deterrence, Mützenich meets the attitude towards life of many social democrats.

But only a minority of the foreign and defense politicians of the SPD would follow him.

The whole thing still has a current background. The partners of the planned traffic light coalition must position themselves on the future of nuclear participation. The exploratory paper says nothing about this. The Greens and the FDP advocate a tougher approach to Russia than the SPD. It is true that NATO has the idea of ​​agreeing a five-year moratorium on nuclear retrofitting with Russia.

This would not work for Germany, however, because the outdated tornadoes cannot be kept operational for another five years at a reasonable cost.

The SPD defense politician Fritz Felgentreu, who is leaving the Bundestag, says there is a risk of a silent exit from nuclear participation.

"The new coalition will have to develop a stance on the issue," he says.

"My advice would be that Germany does not take unilateral decisions on such important strategic issues."