SUPPORT FOR GERMAN EUROPE'S "INDULGENT AND FLEXIBLE HEGEMONY"

Date of Report 3 January 2003
Translated 9 January 2003

BERLIN (Own report) The old German concept of "Middle Europe" "is once again, in some measure, a reality". This was the view of a member of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation which is closely associated with the FDP (*1) (The Free Democrat Party). He expressed this view at the annual conference of the "Study Group for Geopolitical Analysis". The concept of Middle Europe was first formed in Imperial Germany and became an important element of German foreign policy during the Nazi era. It should now be "a liberal example of German hegemony over Central Europe" and must be achieved through "indulgence and flexibility".

The annual conference of the study group took place in Bonn in mid November with the title "World Concepts, Geopolitics and Crises". Geographers, historians, military and security experts took part. With this background the conference set itself the task of "giving the most important decision makers scientific analyses of geopolitical concerns in the light of the strengthened, fulfilling upturn in geopolitical and geo-strategic methods of participation and in the interpretation of global conflict".

"Geography as a basic element for Joschka Fischer" (German Foreign Secretary)

Along with papers which considered the geopolitical standpoints of Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan and the "Asiatic Tiger" states, "the central position of Germany" was at the heart of the conference. There were conceptualisations of the present situation " Midway from the left? Geography as a basic element of Joschka Fischer" and also discussion of historic strategies.

"A Liberal Kind of German Hegemony over Central Europe"

Juergen Froelich, an associate of the "Friedrich Naumann Foundation" gave a paper on the theme "Germany as a first class World Economic Power or : How real is Fiedrich Naumann's "Middle Europe"?" He posed the question as to how Naumann had come to "to support a concept of foreign policy which must inevitably lead to conflicts - and very serious conflicts too". Arising from this Froelich's recommendation was that the "Middle Europe" concept, a "liberal kind of German hegemony over Central Europe was already, in part, reality". He said that "In no circumstances must we throw our weight around out of arrogance and love of power". Integration would not be achieved in that way "but only through indulgence and flexibility". (Note that even on the "liberal left" the word integration is clearly a euphemism for German imperialism -ed)

The conference was rounded off with an evening function at the memorial to the German geopolitician and Nazi adviser, Albrecht Haushofer. Haushofer has been honoured with a memorial which was placed in the inner court of the Interior Ministry a year ago. From 1934 he advised the Information Section of the German Foreign Office. Before the Munich Agreement he worked for the disintegration of the Czechoslovak Republic amongst other projects.

Connections at the Highest Level

The "Study Group for Geopolitical Analysis" works within the "German Association for Geography" (DGfG), the umbrella organisation of specialist groups and association in Germany with around 25,000 members. The Chairman of the "Study Group for Geopolitical Analysis" is Klaus Kost, honorary professor at the Ruhr University of Bochum.

The "Political Geographers" and "Critical Geopoliticians" have at their disposal contacts in the highest circles of German foreign policy. At a conference of the "Study Group for Political Geography" (part of DGfG) under the title "Radical Change in Europe - Geopolitical Examples and Discourse" a member of the Planning Staff of the German Foreign Office, Joschka Schmierer, gave a paper with the title "Real geopolitical examples for Europe - Suggestions by the Foreign Minister for dealing with tensions between European neighbours". For the Geographers' Conference in October 2003 in Bern "Geopolitical Analysis" is seen as a crucial point. The complex of themes "Geopolitics, the Military and Crises" will be tackled. One announced speaker is a member of the German Association for Foreign Policy and his paper will be on the theme "Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer: Officer, Geographer and Geopolitician".

See also
1. Friedrich Naumann: National Social Catechism in the History section of www.german-policy.com , also Friedrich Naumann on "Mitteleuropa"
2. Haushofer's memorial was also reported earlier
3. Amongst the member organisations of the German Association of Geographers is the "Institut fuer Laenderkunde". See earlier article in English

SOURCES

Jahrestagung des Arbeitskreises "Geopolitical Analysen" in Bonn:
Politikberatung bei Konflikten oberstes Ziel; www.geographie.de

Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Geographie; AK Geopolitische Analysen;
www.geographie.de/geopolitischeanalysen
AK Politische Geographie; www.politische-geographie.de

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

(*1) The FDP, Free Democrat Party, is a minority party which has been in virtually every coalition government since the war. The price for their participation has usually been the Foreign Office portfolio. So they have had a very strong influence, disproportionate to their size over the development of German foreign policy. The party is sometimes compared with the British Liberal Democrats.

Their expansionist aims in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are largely unknown to the British public. (Their former leader Hans Dietrich Genscher was largely responsible for the break up of Yugoslavia). The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is connected to the FDP and generously financed by German government funds.