US Military Policy and Arbitrariness

Wieczorek-Zeul attacks Bush

By Spiegel Online

[After months of silence, the German-American relationship has normalized a little. War adversary Wieczorek-Zeul sparks off a new conflict. Schroeder’s development feminist denounced the “aggressive unilateralism” of the US. This article originally published in: Spiegel Online, January 27, 2004 is translated from the German on the World Wide Web, www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,283783,00.html.]

Berlin – Development feminist Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul sharply criticized the military policy of the US. The concept of preventive strikes claimed by the US – without the approval of the United Nations – is against international law and counter-productive for security policy, the minister declared in Berlin at an Academy meeting on security policy.

The academy focuses on continuing education in security policy. The board of trustees of the independent academy consists of members of the German security council under the chairmanship of the German chancellor.

Minister Wiezorek-Zeul explained that arbitrariness is given free rein through the policy of the US. The US relied on “aggressive unilateralism” while the European Union (EU) trusts in common action. The experiences in Iraq showed that the war could be won with the military superiority of the US but not the peace. “What didn’t exist previously in Iraq, the bond between Arab nationalism and Islamic terrorism, is now occurring in Iraq. We always warned of this”, the minister said.

The contempt of the UN in connection with the preventive strike concept undermines efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The message is: “National security and state sovereignty are only secured when my state has weapons of mass destruction.”

The European security strategy emphasizes civil crisis prevention without excluding military interventions. However military escalation is highlighted more than successful conflict prevention.

Third world aid programs are very responsible and more human, the minister said. “The military is always expensive.” Therefore aid to developing countries should be increased instead of investing in the arms race and military operations.

The breeding ground for violent developments must be removed by promoting education, health care and economic development. Conflicts and the unequal distribution of resources in the world will intensify. “These problems cannot be solved with the military and rules alone, Wieczorek-Zeul said.

Before the outbreak of the Iraq war, the minister warned that the US will “bear responsibility for the suffering and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people”.