
jindongnan
@jindongnan
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Friedrich Merz is preparing Germany for what he called a “new reality,” in which conflicts and wars are becoming more frequent around the world. In the Chancellor’s government statement and the subsequent debates in the Bundestag, two wars dominated the agenda: Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict involving Israel and Iran. Merz reiterated his goal of building “the strongest conventional army in Europe” in Germany. Currently, with 180,000 soldiers, the Bundeswehr ranks fourth among NATO countries in Europe in terms of size, behind Turkey, Poland, and France.
Regarding the threat from Russia, Merz said that President “Putin only understands the language of force” and mentioned that. At the same time, the Chancellor acknowledged that Berlin had long ignored the warnings from Eastern and Central European countries about “Russia’s imperialist policy,” but that Germans have now realized this “mistake,” and “there is no way back.” 0 reply
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Anthony Bourdain [IRAN, November, 2014]:
"The vibe in Iran, the general feeling of walking down the streets, through the markets, the way we were received everywhere by total strangers and passersby was overwhelmingly friendly. I have said that Iran is the most outgoingly warm, pro-American place we’ve ever shot, and that’s true: In Tehran, in spite of the fact that you are standing in front of a giant, snarling mural that reads 'DEATH TO AMERICA!,' we found that you will usually be treated better by strangers — meaning smiles, offers of assistance, curious attempts to engage in limited English, greetings and expressions of general good will — than anywhere in Western Europe. It would be hard to imagine strangers in Germany or France or England, on recognizing you as American, giving you a thumbs up and a smile simply for your nationality. That was overwhelmingly the case in Iran."
https://explorepartsunknown.com/iran/field-notes-from-iran/ 2 replies
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