European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 a a a the stars and stripes we of Finiw a a per wednesday july 18, 1990 w. Dale Nelson european fears of United fears of a United Germany a potential economic and military strength Are lingering among european leaders who Are trying to keep Pace with the continents changing political face. The fears bred from two world wars this Century and West Germany a Industrial Power were in the background As leaders gathered to discuss the Western Alliance. They met Early this month in London just Days after the biggest step yet toward unification with a merger of East Germany a Economy into West Germany. German officials and american observers say neither the West nor the soviet Union need fear military aggression. And they say a single Germany will provide healthy economic Competition for new East bloc markets. But the concerns Over a new Germany a possible strength Are deeply ingrained by the painful history of Germany a military past. Twice in this centum the United states and european allies have fought Long wars against a Germany barely larger than the nation expected to be bom of unification. The new Germany will have a population of approximately 80 million far larger than that of Britain or France and a Gross Domestic product equal to that of Britain and France combined. According to the private non profit Council on competitiveness West Germany already outstrips the United states in investment in Plant and equipment and in non defense research and development although not in investment in education. A the germans clearly will be the moving Force behind the european Union a said George a. Carver jr., a fellow at the Center for strategic and International studies and former . Official in Germany. . Rosenthal however he added a i do not think a United Germany is a threat to the soviet Union or anyone else a the soviets devastated in world War ii see it far differently. Moscow has walked at removing some 380,000 soviet troops who remain on East German soil and objects to natos plans to absorb a United Germany into the Western military Alliance. A everyone has legitimate historical reasons to be concerned about German reunification there is no question about that a said Jay Kosminsky Deputy director of defense policy studies for the conservative heritage foundation. A the soviet Union is no different in this respect except perhaps in the respect that it is better equipped to Deal with two weeks ago Rita Suessmuth president of the West German parliament and her East German counterpart Sabine Bergmann Pohl went to Jerusalem to Tell israelis that concern Over a United Germany Are unfounded. But the fear runs As deep for Many israelis As their memory that 6 million jews were slain by German nazis in the holocaust of world War ii. A we have the right and maybe the obligation to be afraid and alarmed a said Shevac Weiss a Deputy speaker of the israeli parliament who spent two childhood years hiding from the nazis in a basement in the Ukraine. Henry Siegman executive director of the american jewish Congress interviewed by Telephone in new York said that although jewish scars May make them More concerned than others a they probably have far less at stake than most people. There Arentt Many jews left in that part of the world. That a not where jews live any noting West Germany s record of democratic government and support of Israel Siegman said Quot i done to believe that the circumstances that combined to pro Duce an Auschwitz Are Likely to reappear on the world scene Jan Surotchak a consultant with the Institute for foreign policy analysis which held a recent conference on German armed forces in a changing Europe said he sees Little likelihood of Germany becoming a military threat. A i done to know How you can read Over the history of German opinion of the military since the War and feel there is enough support either among the Public at Large or in the financial Community or in the Industrial Community to do the kind of things that they have done before a Surotchak said. In Trade he said a the germans Are going to play it hard but we should expect that. That does no to seem to me to be an unfair Kosminsky and Kim Holmes director of foreign policy and defense studies for the heritage foundation argued that the most dangerous course would be to Cut Germany off from its nato allies. A now most germans talk As if military Power is something in the past Holmes said at a briefing for reporters a this is because of the new situation the dependence on the . Nuclear guarantee. What happens when that is gone my View is that the old military balance of Power logic will reassert itself and one of things that could happen is that the germans themselves May some Day want to find nuclear weapons. A the associated press Over a 1 read that a former newspaper col league of mine is so depressed by the Way things Are in the United states these Days that he says it reminds him of Romania. Then a Day later i came across two pieces on the oped Page of the new York times singing laments about How the . Had wounded itself fighting the cold War. One said the United states had already become a militarized National Security state. But that was positively lighthearted compared with the other piece. That one said the a North american colossus is now widely regarded As a colonial Power whose verbal championship of Freedom democracy and social Reform cannot be taken any More seriously than that of the soviet you hear that colossus that is what the Man said word for word. Widely regarded. You could look it up if you done to believe me. No this writer Christopher Lasch was not trying to be funny although 1 done to blame anybody for thinking that. His final pronouncement was that the Choice Between the soviet and american a empires Quot even the Quot abstract Choice Between socialism and capitalism a no longer interests the rest of the world. I am sending copies of that showstopper to some czechoslovak politicians polish unionists and hungarian economists 1 know somehow they and soviet democrats believe the difference Between capitalism and socialism is the difference Between National survival and National death. They could use a few chuckles nowadays. But the Man is a history professor and must have meant what he wrote. So now comes a cautionary word to readers who believe the country has become a police state or is so Lowdown mean and dirty so weakened in soul and ethic that you can to Tell it from the soviet Union. Warning what follows is extremely sentimental about the ., very god bless America. So done to read further. It will make you sick. On Friday i went Down to Battery Park in new York to watch a naturalization ceremony. There were flags a Snappy Small band a police Honor guard the oath of allegiance with hands Over heart a the Star spangled Banner Quot belted out. It was held outdoors and get this you could see the statue of Liberty. The new citizens wanted their pictures taken with her in the background. Wait it gets worse a some of them cried. Thirty countries of birth were represented 66 people in All a 34 from the Caribbean 10 trom Asia 12 from Central and South America three africans and seven europeans. Chief judge Charles l. Brieant or. Of the . District court for the Southern District of new York whose Grandfather was a Bone poor immigrant from England and who has the Best Handlebar Mustache in the entire Federal judiciary had Alt 66 swear to renounce foreign potentates and Bear arms for this country if needed. A Young Man in army uniform nodded As he held up his hand and so did a Caribbean woman who was 70 if she was a Day. The judge and Betsy Gotbaum the Parks commissioner a the Battery is part of her Domain a made Short sensible speeches. The judge said nobody had to Tell the new americans the meaning of America a they chose this country and then chose to work to take the ceremony of belonging. The commissioner said if the new americans Ever needed information about the Parks just Call her. I done to know what was in the minds of Vine Pic Al the Batley or the other 250,000 people who become americans every year. I Only know what was in my own mind decades ago when i swore that Canadas potentate would have to get along without me. It was that in the United states you ceremony become a member of the National society the moment you take the oath and forever Are so considered and name yourself american. I could live in almost any other country the rest of my life after taking its citizenship and never be thought of As an englishman an italian a Frenchman. That difference is important to me. Before they left Battery Park 66 men and women carefully put away their naturalization certificates and their Small gift flags from the daughters of the american revolution to keep forever. Then strangers from different parts of the world kissed. Suddenly they had something dear in common i thought of mentioning that piece about the United states being widely regarded As no different than the soviet Union when it came to championing democracy and asking some of the new americans what they thought about that. But i was afraid they would think i was some kind of a Klutz. C new York times the opinions expressed in the Coluni and cartoons on this Page represent Tho of the authors and Are in no Way to i considered As representing the views the stars and stripes or the Uniti states government
