By Orkhan Sattarov, head of the European Bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza
The Ukrainian crisis aggravating relations between Russia and the West shows that the German political elite formed a pro-Russian group consisting of ex-Chancellors Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schroder, politicians, experts, industrialists and the Left Party. Such attitudes can also be seen among certain public groups. Social polls say that about half of the population wants Germany to be a mediator between the West and Russia and show understanding of Vladimir Putin’s actions in Crimea.
Liana Fix, a Russian expert of the German Council on Foreign Relations (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, DGAP), described the reasons for the popularity of the Russian president in Germany in an interview with Huffington Post. She named the main factors affecting sympathy of Germans towards the Russian leader and Russia as a whole:
Firstly, according to the expert, Germany is dominated by pacifism. This creates a mood where the West and Russia are encouraged to negotiate, not confront each other. This is why many Germans want to see their country as a mediator.
Secondly, Fix believes that Germans are critical towards NATO. This is a traditional vision since the start of the operation in Afghanistan. NATO is sliding in the eyes of the German public.
Thirdly, sympathy towards Russia and Putin are a direct result of Americaphobia among Germans. Many show understanding towards Putin’s arguments because Russian actions are compared and justified by the US actions in Iraq.
Fourthly, as the expert notes, criticism of the European Union works well in Germany. And when Putin and others blame the EU for everything, Germans respond to that.
Fifthly, emphasizes Fix, economic interests play a certain role too. Germans fear to be left without gas for the winter. This is the reason for their desire to play a neutral role in the conflict and abstain from aggravating relations with Russia.
Sixthly, supposes the expert, many Germans are exasperated by the negative and often mocking treatment of Vladimir Putin by the press. For instance, journalists make jokes about photos of the Russian president with an unclothed upper torso riding a horse. Such a position of their own mass media irritates Germans, many of whom sympathize with the image of a strong man personified by Putin. Russia needs such a leader because it is enormous and hard to rule. Some authoritarian methods are quite acceptable for many Germans.
ARD TV made a report on snipers shooting at protesters at the climax of the Euromaidan movement in Kiev. The West blames Victor Yanukovych for shooting unarmed civilians and used the motive to delegitimize the Ukrainian president. The channel says that Yanukovych’s law enforcers were not the only ones shooting at protesters.
