[Skybird]

"Germans' innate fear of Russia"...? Sorryy you are totally on the wrong track there. Germans tradittionally are not "afraid of Russia", but quite the opposite: they are quite russophile, and tend to downplay the risks and threats regarding Russia, or the questionable morals of its acting on certain issue. The sympathy for Russia is the stronger the more you move to the left in the political spectrum, and the more you move towards the East in the German geography. But it is deeper than that. The Germans felt a deep admiration for Russia already before WW1, and even durign the Russian revolution and the times of mass starvations in Russia. The terrible price for the revolution was ignored by political circles in Germany at that time. The overall image of Russia remained intact, and over-glorified.



The German image of Russia is quite transfigured. The origins for this root deeper than just the cold war or WW2, reach back into the times of the Czars, maybe even deal with migration movements that were earlier than even the uof a formal German nation 1871 (Deutsches Reich). Peter the Great positvely fed back on Germans as well in his ambition to lead Russia closer to Europe. Twenty years ago or so, after Yeltzin, the new in office president Putin was compared in Germany to Peter the Great! Migration movements at times were quite intense between German and Russian/Slavic territories. Both people'S willingness to submit to state authority is something that Germans and Russians seem to have in common, taught in Russia by the Czars, in Germany since Prussia. Also, there is immense econoimic lobbying by big business on German govenrment to bypass or end the sanctions on Russia so that German businessmen can do deals with russia again.



Myself, I once again sit between all seats. I am not as Russia-friendly as the pltlical left in Germany is, but then I am also thinkling that Russia is not that bad as especially America paints it to be. I try to see Russia through the eyes of Russia's legitimate, vital self interests - and then many of the things it does suddenly make sense to me. In the eyes of Western hawks, that makes me a russophile already. In the eyes of Putin fans, I am irrationally paranoid of Russia. Well. Thats how it is when you sit between all chairs.



Think tanks in the US tend to conclude that Germany and Europe will sooner or later fall under the influence of either Islam, or Russia. A durable relation between the anglosaxon world and the Germanic European world, is seen as unlikely. I tend to agree there. Unfortunately. The French favour the influence on Europe from the southern , mediterranean region and north Africa, since they think they can dominate there and thus regain the status of a regional hegemon again, and Turkey now is increasingly pressing into Europe again in Erdoghan's bid for rebuilding the Osman sphere of influence. It is these players: France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, that will decide and form the shape of European culture and civilization by the end of this century. Of thes,e Russia is probably the most realstic and sober player, Germany the most dreamlike and romanticising player. France is driven by ambitions it cannot support by its own economy alone, and Turkey is driven both by megalomania and missionary spirit. Ironcially, both germany and France allow contradicting self-influence there. france is traditonally ignorrant of Eastern Europe and tends to directly adress Russia diplomatically and over the heads of the Eastern Europeans between France and Russia, while it wants a close alliance with Muslim North Africa as well, while Germany also eyes Russia all the time, but allows Turkey to heavily meddle with inner German politics and European politics as well. One cannot say that Germany is only Russophile and France is only Islmaophile and so these two nations "clashing" will decide what Europe will look like: pro Russian or even more pro Islamic. One can only say that on a meta level the clash between Russian dominance and Islam will decide Europe's future face.



For America, I see no long termed role anymore in Europe. Not that I welcome that or like it. Its just my sober strategic conclusion. The alienation already has started, and won in pace tremendously in past years. The anglosaxons just are a sphere of their own: and Europe - excluding the islands of the UK of course - is no part of that. Since this is so, I tend to think that Europe will approach Russia all by itself, due to the need to appease this strong neighbour whom one cannot militarily contain without the US. Look at Syria: France just learned that the grand nation was unable to alter in any way the American ways. The US did what they want, and what Britain or France thought of it, was not even asked for.