Rehlinger demands internal dialogue: is peace at risk?

Rehlinger demands internal dialogue: is peace at risk?

In the current political debate of the SPD, a “manifesto” is loud that calls for realignment of foreign and security policy. Among other things, this fundamental paper calls for discussions with Russia and a stop at the deployment of new US medium-sized routes in Germany. Anke Rehlinger, Prime Minister of the Saarland and Vice -chief of the SPD, only learned from the publication of this manifesto. Although it is critical of the ideas, it recognizes the legitimate wish of some party members to express different positions on government policy. "We have to take note that there are very peace -moving people in Germany," says Rehlinger and sees the need to discuss different opinions in the SPD, even if it cannot identify with the demands of manifesto.

The SPD boss Lars Klingbeil has clearly distanced itself from the manifesto's demands and emphasizes that there will be no turning turn in the support of Ukraine. He makes it clear that Russia is responsible for suffering in Ukraine and that President Putin could immediately end the war if he wanted to. According to Klingbeil, military strength and diplomatic efforts are not in contradiction to each other, but complement each other. He therefore does not regard the manifesto as a personal attack, but as part of an internal party discussion that will continue before the party congress from June 27th to 29th. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also critically commented by describing the manifesto as a "refusal to realize reality" and emphasizing that Putin sabotages real diplomatic conversations.

insights into the manifesto

The manifesto, which was signed by several dozen prominent Social Democrats, including Rolf Mützenich and Ralf Stegner, rejects the current military confrontation strategy and the high upgrade spending in Germany. A central point is the call to gradually return to relaxed relationships with Russia and the end of the stationing of new US medium-sized racets that could make Germany a potential target. In particular, the planned increase in the defense budget to 3.5 or even 5 percent of GDP is criticized without a clear security policy justification. The authors argue that Germany and the United States agreed to station conventional medium-range weapons in Germany as early as 2024, while Russia already has central and long-range missiles in the Kaliningrad exclave that can achieve almost any destination in Europe.

In this split discussion within the SPD, not only the comrades stand behind the manifesto, but also other more prominent voices such as Sahra Wagenknecht from the BSW. She even proposes a common rally with the initiators of the manifesto to mobilize supporters. It remains to be seen whether these different currents can create a new dynamic in party and foreign policy discourse, but the upcoming party congress will certainly be helpful to find a clear line and possibly win new strength for the SPD.

The debate within the SPD shows how important dealing with different positions is and how necessary it is to face the challenges of foreign policy. "The different positions have to be discussed within the party," emphasizes Rehlinger. The dialogue is essential in these turbulent times - everyone agrees.

For more information on this topic, you can also read the articles by Welt , Tagesschau and n-tv .