At the end of the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was referred to as the “Sick Man of Europe.” Bankrupt, corrupt, it had lost several wars and pieces of its empire were being lost to former conquered people, rebels, and foreign powers. Czarist Russia believed that it is long goal of control of Istanbul and the thereby a free access to the Mediterranean was finally within it is grasp. Although the future looked dim, a brief flame of renewal was offered by the Young Turk movement which sought to change the course of the empire before it was too late. Although the Young Turks were successful in some respects, their brutality in Armenia and the decision to join Germany in the First World War sealed the fate of the Ottoman Empire.
Is there today another “Sick Man of Europe”? A nation which is plagued by an invasion of immigrants who do not share the same values as their guest country and who are creating a crime wave not experienced since the 1920’s? A nation with the highest energy costs in Europe and whose industries seem to be in decline. A nation which was once seen as the banker of Europe but now suffers from inflation and decreasing productivity? A nation whose military is underfunded and incapable of defending itself.
Is that nation Germany?
In the article by Christopher Caldwell, he reviews how the war in Ukraine, terrorism, immigration and an out of touch “green policy” has put strains on Germany which were unimaged just a few short years ago. The open-door immigration policy of Angela Merkel has distorted the German state so that nearly 30% (24 million) of those who live in Germany are of “migrant background”. This has slowed the coming together of the Western and the Eastern Germans as the crime and welfare in the West makes for an excellent recruiting ground in Eastern German for a strong right of center political party.
Adding to the nation’s woes is a “green policy” which has increased the cost of energy and the literal waste of billions of Euros on solar energy in a nation where the average number of sunny days is only one hundred, forty-six days a year. With the cost of energy so high, German manufacturing is at a cost disadvantage with no relief in sight.
Will there be a German version of the “Young Turks” and if so, what exact form would such a movement take? Would the millions of migrants be a target of such a movement? Would such a movement occur only in Germany, or could it spread across Europe? As with so many European problems, the United States is often seen as having a significant role to play in Europe, but that faith in the United States is under sever strain as the Europeans see the “civilizational benefits” of the United States becoming less and less attractive.
Although not offering a solution, the article will help you understand some of the strains which test both Germany and all, especially, Western Europe.
https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/germany-growing-desperate/
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