The Two Faces of Murat Kurnaz

Everyone has followed the case of Murat Kurnaz, the Hamburg-born Turk who was picked up on the battle-field and turned over to American forces in Afghanistan in 2002. His case has been cause for continued polarization for some, continued befuddlement for others.

Many on the left has used this case to batter the policies of the American administration…perhaps, rightfully so. However, it seems to me that there is still so very much we don’t know about this case. I have waited for “follow-up journalism” by those who gleefully wrote about this case being proof of the evil and lawless nature of the Bush Administration. I’ve seen very little follow-up.

Of course, news that the Bush Administration offered to return Kurnaz to Germany (shortly after he arrived in Guantanamo Bay) has not been highlighted by those who openly criticized the Administration. To be honest, I really don’t know what the deal is with Murat Kurnaz, but I do know that the abuses that he alleges are at best…ill defined. I suppose most of his accusations are a matter of he said – she said. Of course physical beatings are one thing, but some of his other claims are not at clear-cut.

Turning off the air conditioners, in my mind, can hardly qualify as “torture.” Does anyone know for sure how many Cubans have air conditioning? Heck, how many of the elderly in France had air conditioning during the heat wave several years ago?

He also claims lack of food. I’m sorry, but look at the before and after photos of him! He doesn’t look malnourished to me.

There seems to be a fair amount of follow up into this story by the German media, primarily with respect to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s involvement. This should be perhaps extended to former Foreign Minster Joschka Fischer as well. According to an internal German intelligence report, the US showed willingness to release Kurnaz in November 2002 due to lack of evidence, and as a symbol of goodwill towards Germany. The Germans allegedly refused this offer.

But the left-leaning American blogosphere has failed to provide much in the way of follow up to this situation. Many used the assumption that the renegade Bush Administration holding an innocent man out of arrogant reasons. The fact the US government tried to return Murat Kurnaz to Germany almost immediately after his arrival in Guantanamo does little to elicit any sort of re-assessment.

US vs Germany Friendly

There is an interesting article in Der Spiegel regarding the status of soccer in the United States. In an interview with US Soccer Federation President, Robert Contiguglia, expectations for this year's team are clearly indicated as being fairly high. Although many stars from both squads will not be able to play in this week's game, it should be a very important barometer of the progress of this sport in the States. More information on the US team can be found on its its Fifa World Cup webpage.

The Strike Culture

News in Europe seems to be dominated by the "Strike of the Day."

The latest is the Doctor's strike that is ongoing this week in Germany. According to the World Socialist Web Site, 22,000 German doctors (98% of them voted to authorize a work-stoppage) were on strike in several cities last Thursday. I saw a recent study that indicated that Germany's doctors in general were the lowest paid in the "West." They currently earn on average something like 70,000 Euro per year, compared to 140,000 per year for their American counterparts. The Germans are currently seeking a 30% pay increase, but are willing to increase their "official" weekly schedule from 38.5 hours to 42.5 hours per week.

I know that unionization is important in Germany, but what are the benefits? Doctors in America are not unionized, so why are they paid so much better? Individualism and Capitalism seems to be treating doctors in America better than Collective Bargaining and Socialism is in Europe.

Coincidentally, a Public Service Worker strike in Germany now enters its sixth week. Again, this strike seems to be about the implementation of longer work weeks. Meanwhile, uncollected garbage continues to pile up on the streets of many cities. Call me stupid, but I would think that in the face of mounting unemployment (around 12%), the natural tendancy would be to roll up your sleeves, work a little bit harder, and make a few sacrifices. Instead of trying to understand the difficult decisions and concessions that have to be made, the unions reserve their energy toward attacking Hartz IV and Agenda 2010 as threats to the social fabric of Germany.

Meanwhile, France Braces For Mass Protests.

"France braced for mass protests on Saturday against a new employment law as unions said more than 1 million people would march to increase pressure on the government to repeal the measure."

The French "way" seems to include violence. This particular uprising is in protest of the government plan to try to alleviate massive unemployment by making it easier and more flexible for employers to hire workers. The proposed law would allow employers it utilize a 2 year trial period for workers under 26 years old.

"I would say 'no' (to a job offered under the law) because I would have no security for two years," Jerome Desprol, 24, told Reuters

Well then, Mr. Desprol will just have to make due with NO JOB. Apparently, the American attitude of "just give me a chance to prove myself" does not translate to the French job market. Rather, the French message seems to be "just guarantee my job so that I don't have to prove myself."

Can Smiling Really Be Hazardous?

A recent study in Germany suggests that workers whom must maintain a level of "Customer Service" may be more suceptible to illness. Psychologists at Frankfurt University have conducted an analysis of workers who are "forced" to be friendly at their jobs.

"Every time a person is forced to repress his true feelings, there are negative consequences for his health," said Professor Dieter Zapf, a researcher into human emotions.

In the end, the thesis of the study seems to be that we need to get away from the notion that the "customer is king," and treat service employees with more respect.

Not many would say that the problem with the German service industry is too much friendliness! Perhaps the real study should be why do those in this industry need to "fake" friendliness?

A Little Even-handedness Would Be Nice

The recent news about possible assistance to the US Military planners coming from German BND agents in Baghdad represents a cause for reflection. The uproar about this issue in the German media speaks volumes about the overall attitude of German society. There are several root questions about this story, and about the reaction to it in Germany.

The first and obvious question regarding this issue is what was the motive of the former government in Germany to provide this tactical military information to the US? The likely answer is really quite unfortunate and hypocritical. Could it be that in deference to the it’s public posture toward US policy, the German government was not as inhospitable as its public persona? The Schroeder regime publicly went far beyond disagreements among friends. It used every opportunity to outwardly attempt to diminish the credibility of the Bush Administration. But now we discover the degree to which this public treatment was “political.” The reality in this case may be a bit of realpolitik. Perhaps even the Schroeder government realized that in light of the Marshal Plan, the Berlin Airlift, and the defense in the face of Soviet aggression, there could never be an “up side” to blatant opposition (not to be confused with mild, or subdued opposition) to US policy.

Given the realpolitik agenda (albeit private) of the German government, we Americans should find it even more disconcerting that there was a political benefit for this hypocrisy. What is it about the German public’s mindset that makes it so willing to gleefully cling to anything that “puts America in its place?” Why does opposition to US policies appear to be a winning political platform in Germany? The German media has some real soul searching to do, and is greatly responsible for this shift in attitudes toward the US. David and Ray @ Medienkritik have painstakingly highlighted bias in the German media, and have done a thorough job of outlining this important issue.

The elite in Germany find it so easy and opportunistic to exhibit anything greatly critical of the US. The lack of even-handedness in their coverage of America cannot, and does not have benign effects on the population. Why is it that the only foreign country worthy of ridicule in a Karneval float is… the US? Organizers have declared Islam off limits for float material, but anything critical of America is either so prevalent that it cannot help but be prominently shown in the German news, or the German media truly knows what makes for popular headlines. Both of these possibilities are truly abhorrent.

A recent interview with Beate Wagner, secretary general of the German Society for United Nations, by Deutsche Welle further outlines the overall lack of even-handedness by the German media. Ms. Wagner clearly indicated that “The human rights situation in China is well known. The number of people executed in China equals the amount executed in all other countries of the world put together. You can even be executed for tax crimes. There is no freedom of the press of freedom of expression. The human rights situation has not improved.” On the other hand, if you read Spiegel online, you would have to assume that capital punishment in America is the lone threat to the civilized world. It seems as though negative stories relating to the death penalty in America outnumber those about Chinese executions by a factor of 10:1. The facts just don’t support this imbalance. In the same interview, with DW, Steffen Leidel (DW interviewer) indicated that “Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was very reserved when it came to criticizing the human rights situation in China and Russia.” Mr. Schroeder was never reserved in his criticism about the Anglo-Saxon economic system, or the American response to Hurricane Katrina; particularly when compared to the “German Social Model.” He even wanted to start selling China weapons. To this day, most in Germany gleefully praise Mikhail Gorachev, and give total credit for the fall of the Berlin Wall and German Unification to him. It should surely occur to many in Germany that there were conditions which made Glasnost and Perestroika the obvious and only choice for Mr. Gorbachev (Ronald Reagan had the Soviets backed into a corner with no viable options). Of course to realize these facts, would mean most of the credit for these events would go to Pope John Paul (who helped to give subjects of Soviet oppression hope for personal freedom) and Ronald Reagan. Instead, the former Communist gets rock star treatment by the German press.

Why is the most compelling reaction in the German media to immediately drum up some nonsensical conspiracy theory? My wife and I even hosted a German exchange student several years ago (on a US government scholarship) who truthfully believed that the American landing on the moon in 1969 was a total hoax. Today, roughly 33% of thirty-something adults in Germany believe that the US government was responsible for the catastrophe at the Pentagon on 9-11. What’s even more astonishing is that this theory was “created” by a blockbuster book written by a government minister. You can also read about grand theories of the BND story being some sort of political payback towards the previous German administration. It’s been suggested that the timing of the story was linked to Frau Merkel’s statements about the need for Gitmo to be dismantled. For the record, most Americans agree that Gitmo should be abandoned, but we think this should only be done after a viable alternative is presented… we’re still waiting for ideas. The trouble with these “theories” is that they don’t make any sense. There can be no doubt that the Bush administration would have been rooting for a new government in Germany with traditional partners CDU and FDP. If this story was political, why would this not have been leaked to the press during the German election season? That surely would have had more impact on the tenor in Berlin. The source of the story has clearly indicated that the timing of the story was designed (by his publisher) to coincide with his recent book about military operations in Iraq. This scenario is infinitely more plausible than the conspiracy theories asserted by much of the German media.

German courts have outlawed the showing of a movie about the German cannibal because it would infringe upon his rights. But the Turkish movie showing American GI’s is cause for a cinematic celebration. We believe that both movies would fall under “free speech.” We just want a fair shake.

Submitted to Carnival of German-American Relations

Economic Stimulus Package... German Style

Change... doesn't seem to come easily for Germans. Gerhard Schroeder never missed an opportunity to poke a finger into the eye of the "Anglo-Saxon Economic System" by extolling the superiority of the German Social System. Of course all the while he was making these claims, he was failing miserably at convincing the majority of Germans of the virtures of Hartz IV or his 2010 Economic Reforms. What made the former Chancellor so disingenuous is that he fully realized that these reform packages modeled more after the Anglo system than the German one. The reality is that the reforms of Hartz and 2010 are greatly needed in Germany. Most in Germany realize this, but they lack the confidence to make the necessary concessions.

It's a never-ending circle, really. High unemployment leads to low tax rolls (no matter what the tax rate is - even with our "permanent" tax cuts, the US tax rolls, i.e. total tax collected, has risen in each of the last 4 quarters). High unemployment, combined with an excessive social welfare system results in large deficits.

...But here's the punchline. The new German Finance Minister recently unveiled a plan to use US Marshall Fund proceeds to reduce the Federal deficit of Germany. Um... Come again? Why should American taxpayer funds be used to assist a "superior" economic and social model? Apparently, US government approval would be required for such a transfer of funds. Not only should the US swiftly reject such a manuever, but perhaps it's time that balance of the Marshall Fund be returned.

Iran, the EU-3, and the UN

What in the world is going on with the Iran nuclear situation? It seems like the rhetoric is getting more heated, and no resolution is near. In mid October, it was Iran that was putting a freeze on negotiations with the EU-3 of Britain, France and Germany.

At that time, the EU was expected to take the matter to the UN Security Council. Of course, given the recent history of this particular entity, Iran seemed to be repeating the "Divide and Conquer" strategy that the Iraq situation proved to be quite successful diffusing any UN authority in the matter.

"There is no judicial or legal reason to send the Iranian dossier to the Security Council," Asefi asserted. "Many countries have this view," he said, mentioning China and Russia as examples...

In September, Beijing abstained from voting on an IAEA resolution that found Iran to be in non-compliance with the NPT, and is eager not to see the tensions with Iran escalate. Perhaps this has something to do with the amount of oil China is currently importing from Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said Saturday that Moscow saw no reason to put the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council as sought by Washington. Perhaps this has something to do with tha contracts that Russia has to provide nuclear facilities in Iran.

But hopefully, there is reason for optimism in this whole debacle...

Yesterday, the EU rejected calls by Russia for the resumption of talks with Iran (proposed to have taken place in Moscow). Of course the hope is that this message is heard not only by Iran, but also Russia and China. The greater world good, must prevail over the financial concerns of Russia, China, and others for that matter. When the President of Iran indicates that (god willing) it is the hope of Iran for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth, nuclear weapons in the hands of this regime is not a good thing!

"We seriously applied for continuing negotiations (with the E.U.) as requested by the board of governors (of the International Atomic Energy Agency), if the others rejected, then they should also be held responsible for the consequences," Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Friday.

Meanwhile, thousands of Iranians staged anti-U.S. demonstrations at the nuclear enrichment plant in Natanz in central Iran Friday, demanding the start of uranium enrichment in the plant.

Clearly, this situation is getting quite serious, and a unified front is more necessary than at any other time in the process. The US is on the sidelines during these "negotiations," but we are still the target for the Iranian anger. I suppose we will bear that burden, and it's somewhat encouraging that the EU seems to have developed a degree of resolve in this matter.

The Comeback Kid

Recent polls suggest a tightening of the race in Germany. If nothing else, one must certainly give Gerhard Schroeder an"A" forEffort, and and "A+" for Chutzpah.

How else could you possibly characterize the events of the last several months. The gutsiness of deliberately losing a confidence vote, only to immediately and drastically trail the CDU alliance for weeks, and now seemingly making a surge at the end of the campaign is quite remarkable. Herr Schroeder has a bit of Clinton in him. His has media savvy, and always seems to know what to say to his base... a true politician. Will Germans follow Schroeder one more time?

A recent interview with the left-leaning Süddeutsche Zeitung (reported on Spiegel Online) is an excellent glimpse into the perspective of Gerhard Schroeder:

Süddeutsche Zeitung Despite everything that you have done in the last few years, nothing concrete has actually changed: unemployment figures have risen and there is practically no economic growth.

Schröder That is not true. International observers recognize that without our reforms Germany would be in a much worse position. Our problem is that many of us here in Germany are much more negative in their assessment than commentators from abroad. Major economic publications, such as The Economist, The Wall Street Journal or The Financial Times, recognize that we have made a lot of progress with our program of structural reforms. It is only at home that we talk as if Germany was still the sick man of Europe. This picture just doesn't fit the reality any more.

The Bundeskanzler does not seem to realize that his excuse, which seems to be that Germans see their economy as worse than it might actually be, IS PRECISELY THE PROBLEM. The economy in Germany is certainly not fantastic, but the larger problem is that the outlook in Germany for the citizens is so bleak that their domestic markets are horrible. There simply is not enough consumer confidence for the market to be healthy.

Süddeutsche Zeitung You always quote just the first part of The Economist article. In the second half the writer says that it is now time for the opposition Christian Democrats to take over government.

Schröder That is an assessment which has been formed without proper knowledge of German society. I am obviously going to have a different opinion.

Okay here in successive comments, he says that commentors abroad know more about Germany's economic health than Germany, as a whole, does. The Economist's thesis however according to Schroeder, cannot be supported because a lack of proper knowledge of German society. Wow, this guy is GOOD!!!

Süddeutsche Zeitung But why should people vote for you again when, after seven years in power, you still haven't achieved your most important goal -- the aim, which you announced in 1998, of reducing unemployment significantly?

Schröder That can be explained by the fact that no government has so far been faced with the amount of problems which we have had to deal with: the bursting of the internet bubble five years ago, the effects of September 11, oil prices which have risen from 15 dollars to 70 dollars a barrel. These are massive external shocks which explain why we have not been able to achieve our aim. But we are on the right course. The first signs of success are also being seen on the job market: 1500 new jobs have been created since April.

Um... Come again? No government has had to deal with the amount of problems that his government has in the last seven years? Is he the Chancelor of the US? The economy here seems to have held its own during the last seven years. The massive shocks that he speaks of, should have signalled a more energetic drive towards reforms. The US economy is not particularly worse off since these shocking events. Where I do sympathize with the Chancelor is the issue of reforms. The problem goes hand in hand with the fact that Germans are currently very pessimistic. They simply would not support his difficult, but necessary reforms. However, to boast about 1,500 new jobs since April is astonishly weak, when under the same circumstances, the US economy has been adding jobs at a rate of roughly 10 times that amount each month of late.

In about a week's time the German electorate's courage will be put to the test. The question is really quite simple... Status quo, or change -even just for the sake of change!