DGermany is entering the New Year with two faces. One can be seen in the flood areas, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz had good reason to personally appreciate the willingness to help, not only of the services responsible for this, but also of the committed volunteers. The other thing was evident in all those big city neighborhoods on New Year's Eve, especially in Berlin, where the civil war-like conditions of the previous year could only be prevented with a lot of effort during a “night of repression” (Kai Wegner).
The hope of bridging such differences by calling for more “cohesion”, as happened in many speeches at the turn of the year, should not be too great. It is more likely that the contrasts will become even greater.
Dams against black painting and demagoguery
The year 2024 can be bathed in a gloomy light. The European and state elections do not promise any calming of the political landscape; the threat posed by the war in Ukraine is growing rather than diminishing; There is a threat of a turning point in America that is still and again associated with the name Trump; Germany's economic strength continues to weaken. The word of the hour is therefore “confidence”, not because it is imposed or necessarily justified, but because it is urgently needed to build dams against doom and demagoguery.
Much more than good persuasion from a less well-appointed body – in any case it is not the federal government that could provide confidence – pressure from outside is likely to help push the destructive ones onto the defensive and encourage the committed ones. Given the challenges facing the Bundeswehr, German politicians will not be able to avoid a conscription project.
It remains to be seen whether this will result in a general duty of service. What is certain, however, is that the year 2024 will not belong to the entitlement of pleasure seekers, but to the people who carry sandbags. That in turn is definitely reason for optimism.
#Outlook #word #hour #confidence
