The last resort is the mutual assistance clause of the NATO treaty.

Because Ukraine is not part of the alliance, it was repeatedly heard after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, only non-military reactions are possible.

At least in Germany, this also speaks of a certain relief.

Because that's how his politicians are able to save face in the face of a catastrophic refutation of years of expectations.

The expectations were: create peace without weapons, until a few years ago even from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

Anyone who rebelled against this view years ago, mostly Eastern Europeans, was considered backwoods.

The German debate thought it was ahead of its time and hid behind German history.

In truth, however, the doubters were the realists and the German ideals were the product of provincial thinking.

This was entirely in line with the West German tradition of having others pay for security, under whose umbrella it was easy to moralize.

The last German diplomatic feat that was possible under these circumstances remains German unity.

If Helmut Kohl had pursued what is now understood as “diplomacy” back then, we would probably still be waiting for unity.

He was lucky, but also assertive against the Lafontaines, Schröders and Fischers, who dreamed of a way beyond the nation.

Later they dreamed of a Russia in Europe that would be like this post-national dream.

"Cold warriors, revanchists, die-hards"

There are many well-known politicians who like to refer to Konrad Adenauer, Helmut Schmidt or Helmut Kohl;

but hardly any of them actually stand in their tradition.

If that were the case, they would have the reputation that the last generation of conscripts had to endure: cold warriors, revanchists, die-hards.

German idealism is now proving to be a historical error, a deception, the moral and material failure of a generation.

All the way up to Frank-Walter Steinmeier, she searches for words to find her way out of the province of her illusions of peace and back into the center of world events.

New missteps are included: the claim that deterrence had turned out to be useless was to be expected.

Ukraine had renounced the means of nuclear deterrence in order to receive a guarantee from Putin.

Putin is now threatening the West with nuclear retaliation.

The fact that Rolf Mützenich uses this as a confirmation of his line borders on infamous dogmatism.

The five thousand helmets that were offered to the Ukraine from Germany a few days before the Russian invasion will go down in history as the “trophy” of this will-o'-the-wisp.

More would have been possible without the assistance clause.

However, it seems unlikely that a new start in German and European foreign and security policy is possible.

He is not to be expected from the traffic light coalition.

But a start would be made if their politicians used the word “we” sparingly.

Because we didn't fail, we didn't deceive ourselves: That was you.