Good point, Joerg. There seems to exist a pro-Russian opinion-manufacturing industry in Germany. We don't see it here on AR but I've seen the signs over at your day job at Atlantic Community. That fellow who is always going on about Russia/Putin embodying 'European Values'. Hmmmm, really? ;)

The point of all this banging on about European Values and Russia's European soul has two points to it I think. The first is appealing to 'little europeanism', that is the superior virtues of the european over the auslander. In this respect it reminds me of some of our nativists in the US, the ones who have hydrophobia about the illegal immigrants. But the other side of that movement is clear effort to bind Europe to Russia and widen the split with the US (and China, Japan, India, Turkey et al).

Thus far it seems to be a largely German phenomena. I see few signs that it's catching on in France or elsewhere, or indeed among most Germans. It's decidedly not working in the UK despite the number of Russians living in London. Probably because Putin's main opposition is settled here, and also because whatever they call the KGB these days are strongly suspected of committing a number of high-profile murders in the Russian community here. Her Majesty's Government do NOT approve!

So it isn't limited to Putin's most famous employee, Herr Schroeder. Not that I've heard anything from HIM lately. Perhaps a good thing - what could he say without losing all credibility or the big paycheck. Poor man, what an impossible position he put himself into!

Fischer has been a good deal more vocal (and much less in anyone's bag). More interesting as always.

I didn't mean to say that AC is that industry, only that I had seen some signs there, as well as on the opinion pages of certain german publications - from time to time.

It's not mainstream to be sure, but it's there and seems to be having an influence. If only to buttress the argument that Germany need not do anything more in it's role as NATO ally.

Then there is Joshka Fischer, who rather thoroughly trashed that idea. He's teaching at Princeton now, and may be the only German politician of any importance who knows the US in any depth. Bravo Joshka, what he wrote yesterday makes most of the points which I've been trying to make for years here. Without my ire, perhaps. All to the good.

He's right, BTW, and the argument he lays out is the core of the argument people like myself are making for withdrawing from NATO, although he probably wouldn't agree with my prescription for the problem, which is increasing the share of Central European GDP from the current 1.5% to close to 3%. Which would in turn allow the US to 'build-down' from 3.7% to about 3%, and would ultimately have the effect of gining Europe something like an equal voice in NATO councils.