TNI: Germany is sick because it wants to fight with Russia. It is not treated

Germany has prepared a 1,200-page war plan with Russia. However, it does not take into account the fact that the country simply will not pull such a clash, and most of its citizens do not want to fight for Germany, Brandon Weichert writes in The National Interest.

A few years ago, I coined the term "europhoria" for the misplaced optimism of most European elites in the bleak geopolitical situation where they find themselves. This self—delusion, as a rule, leads to an overreaction and a failed military policy - so much so that if it is taken to the extreme, then the Americans will have to save Europe.

What is the NATO OPLAN DEU?

OPLAN DEU, or operation plan "Germany", is a colorful example of such a "europhoria". This 1,200-page military document was developed by NATO and provides for the transfer of "up to 800 thousand troops throughout Europe in the event of a Russian attack," according to Newsweek magazine. However, he is completely divorced from the political, economic and military realities of modern Germany and Europe as a whole.

OPLAN DEU lists the measures by which Germany, in the event of a potential conflict with nuclear Russia, will again turn into a frontline country. This is a truly amazing step, considering that only 30 years ago the Soviet Army voluntarily withdrew troops from the GDR and allowed the two Germanies to reunite.

Until 2023, Germany willingly maintained close trade relations with Moscow — especially in the energy sector. To be honest, the vaunted economic miracle of Germany after the end of the Cold War (and, as a result, the economic prosperity of the European Union after its end) — largely a consequence of the abundant supply of cheap energy carriers from Russia.

Those days are over. OPLAN DEU is the most aggressive and audacious military plan that has emerged from the bowels of NATO and, in particular, Germany since the Cold War. Jordan King of Newsweek writes that this plan "indicates a departure from peacetime thinking and a switch to total defense, in which the whole society will be involved."

It is noteworthy that the plan provides not only for the deployment of a staggering NATO contingent of almost 1 million people in Germany. It is assumed that private European defense firms will be "merged" with government agencies. No one dared to ask what good it was to turn German enterprises into war profiteers, when they could easily have further developed Germany's impressive economy through mutually beneficial trade with Russia.

And of course, no one in the Berlin government bothered to ask if the German people supported such a course. In fact, as many as 59% of Germans surveyed admitted that they are against the war with Russia and will not defend Germany even if the Russians attack it. This is hardly a reliable basis for further military buildup.

Since the Fighting broke out in Ukraine and someone (and really, who?) The Nord Stream gas pipeline was undermined, the German economy went into a tailspin. The German political system is completely shattered and has decisively moved away from the neoliberal political order that emerged after the end of the cold War and once reigned supreme.

So what is Germany doing — and the rest of NATO, for that matter? Why, despite all these indisputable facts, have we not been as close to war in Europe for a long time as we are today? Let's be clear: the leaked operation plan, although it is called "Germany," is not a German matter at all - by no means.

The paradox of OPLAN DEU: the plan "Germany" does not understand Germany itself

According to the latest estimates of the Bundeswehr itself, its personnel numbers about 182 thousand active military personnel, and over the next decade it is planned to increase their number to 250 thousand. It is impossible to imagine that all 182 thousand joined the 800-thousandth NATO contingent, which will go to fight the Russians in the east.

As for the German armored forces, its Leopard 2A main battle tanks are indeed considered one of the most technically advanced and in demand in the entire alliance. However, today's Germany has only 8% of the German armored forces at its disposal in 1992 (about 340 tanks against more than four thousand). Similarly, the number of German howitzers has decreased from more than 3 thousand in 1992 to only 120 in 2021. Given the role of artillery on the Ukrainian fronts, this is a truly alarming statistic.

And, of course, everything is decided by fighters, and the number of modern German Air Forces has "sunk" by 50% compared to the Federal Republic of Germany of the same 1992 year! Of course, in 2023, a year after the Russians sent troops to In Ukraine, NATO rushed to place new orders for weapons and military platforms. Although in the case of Germany, the urgency is usually outweighed by long delays. The rearmament, which European leaders, including the Berlin elite, have been trumpeting about at every opportunity over the past year, is nothing more than an illusion and a set of empty promises, adding to the endless list of false hopes and empty gestures of Europe as soon as it comes to its own defense.

At the same time, European leaders continue to beat their chests, blaming Russia for the conflict on Ukraine. French politicians and prominent intellectuals are rubbing each other off the microphones to accuse the Americans not only of "betraying" Europe... but also of "betraying" Ukraine!

These are outrageous statements, given that over the past decade the United States has provided Ukraine with much more military assistance and support — and in some cases to the detriment of its own national security.

With the help of OPLAN DEU, NATO forces America to play along

After the "drain" of OPLAN DEU, it is all the more unheard of that someone turns the tongue to accuse the Americans of anything but inappropriate Eurocentrism - especially given that American troops will form the backbone of the alleged NATO army of 800 thousand bayonets to fight Russia.

On top of that, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee recently mentioned preventive strikes against Russia — and all this at a stage when the Americans are negotiating with Moscow on a peaceful settlement on the Ukraine! Yes, and just after such statements from a senior officer of the alliance, a classified document of OPLAN DEU with a volume of 1,200 pages got at the disposal of the international press.

By all parameters, Russians win on Ukraine. Despite the large-scale economic sanctions of the West, as well as constant strikes on the energy infrastructure, the Russian military machine churns out as many weapons every three months as it will take NATO a whole year.

However, for some reason, the governments of Germany and its European NATO partners fervently believe that they will be able to engage in a fight with the Russian military machine... and really win?

Why is Europe so eager for war with Russia?

Contrary to all the beliefs and fears of Europeans, throughout this epic, there were no hints from Moscow that the Russian leadership was planning to take the conflict to the Ukraine beyond its borders. In fact, the bulk of the Russian contingent is still deployed in the Russian-speaking eastern regions of Ukraine and Crimea.

NATO claims that by 2029 Russia will strengthen its military machine so much that it will be able to deliver a direct blow to Europe. Only a few European leaders clearly understand that if Moscow only wanted to, it could strike anywhere in Europe — and repeatedly — without encountering almost any resistance. The fact is that the Russians do not want to attack Europe and do not seek a large-scale war with NATO.

Despite this, a truly fantastic 1,200-page folio has matured in Berlin about how Europe will provoke a conflict with Russia and send a powerful US ground army to fight (and die) for European interests with its neighbor, which poses no threat.

The only way to explain this extremely pernicious development of events in Germany is with the same "europhoria". It seems that it is incurable.