Political Psychoanalysis

The other day, in a conversation with my favourite академик, I was discussing Freud and his Theory of Consciousness.  In Freud’s theory, there are basically three divisions of human awareness. 

The “ id “ is instinct and desire for pleasure, the ” superego “ is conscience and morality, and the ” ego “ is kind of like the self, or the part of an individual which ” blends “ the id and the superego. 

The академик asked me what kind of person would be characterized as having an overdeveloped id, and we agreed on ”a gambler, or a child.”  Then he asked what kind of person might have an overdeveloped superego. 

I said without hesitation, ” The La Russophobe Boys “. He nodded and smiled.

USA more dangerous than Iran and Russia ?

Germany’s “Welt Online” published the result of a representative survey in its edition of Saturday, March 31 2007. The survey was conducted by Berlin’s Forsa Institute and had been ordered by Germany’s weekly “Stern”.

According to this survey 48 % of Germany’s population considers the USA being a “bigger threat to global peace and stability” than Iran.

On the other hand 31 % consider Iran being more dangerous than the USA. 15% see no difference between the two countries where peace and stability are concerned and consider both countries being equally “dangerous”.

An overwhelming 72 % of the people asked in Germany, whether the “missile defense shield” to be installed by the USA in Eastern Europe was welcome or not, replied that this “shield” was nonsense and sided Ludwig Beck, the chairman of Germany’s social-democratic party (SPD), who strongly rejects these US American plans.

Beck is supported by 80% of the SPD’s members but also by 62 % of the members of CDU and CSU, the two conservative and “christian” political parties in Germany.

52% of the polled party members considered the USA being more “dangerous” than Iran, 46 % of them are members of the “Union” (CDU & CSU).

27% of all people polled declared that they weren’t voters of the SPD, and wouldn’t consider voting in favour of the SPD in Germany’s next federal elections, but could imagine to rethink this should the “Union” not take a more decisive stand aginst this “missile shield” in the near future.

Presently Germany is governed by a coalition of SPD and CDU (“Große Koalition”) with both parties being almost “pari” . Chancellor Merkel’s CDU could very well be losing support and declining should a significant number of voters decide that she’s too friendly towards the USA and move to the “other camp“. Germany’s SPD is generally not hostile towards the USA but “very less friendly” then the “Union“.

The generally good and friendly relationship between Russia and Germany is not influenced by the US “annoyance” regarding Russia. It can actually be noted that the more Russia is “bashed” by the USA, the better the relationship between Germany and Russia gets.

As Princeton’s Professor Steven Kotkin has pointed out, “Russia bashing“  by the USA leads to Anti-Americanism, the least thing the USA need in today’s world where the pendulum of sympathy swings away from the USA and towards Russia.

A New Storm Rising ?

Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran’s borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.“The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran,” the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran “that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost.”

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran’s military infrastructure in the near future.

A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf.

The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006. The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region.

German sources report similarly. Germany’s TV channel “Phoenix” aired a talk yesterday evening, hosting an Iranian analyst in exile as well as two German journalists who were able to interview Iran’s president Ahmadinejad nine months ago.

The journalists, both having an excellent reputation being Middle East experts and political analyists, claimed to have gained the impression Mr. Ahmadinejad to be a hard-liner with tremendous internal problems. These internal problems, so their expertise, will provide no room to Mr. Ahmadinejad to step down from his present policy towards the West and will not permit him to enter negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

It wouldn’t be the first time that some political leader seeks to solve domestic problems by creating a crisis and risking a war.

Gospodin Prezident, George W. is calling you ….

“Russland Aktuell” claims to have information from a source in in the Kremlin stating that President G.W. Bush has phoned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, suggesting intensive talks and a close cooperation reagarding the American“missile defense shield”  to be installed in Poland and the Czech Republic.

President Bush is reported to have suggested talks on the basis of “common security interests”.

Henry Obering, the head of the missile defense project in the Pentagon, is reported to have claimed being open towards these “intensive talks”, to have even suggested the “exchange of data and technology” .

In the course of the phone call President Bush is reported to have suggested to include Western Russia into the shield. According to President Bush not only France, Germany and Italy could be “protected” by this shield, large parts of Russia as well.

Obering insisted that the “missile shield” is not intended to be directed against Russia. He also claimed that the shield was unable to “take down Russian missiles”.

The Czech government has announced its intention to enter negotiations with the USA regarding the “missile defense shield”.  Until fall this year the negotiations regarding a radar site near Prague could be completed, the Czech parliament could then pass a bill on this topic early next year.

“Bronze Soldier” may still not rest in peace.

Another Estonian provocation disturbes the rest of the “Bronze Soldier” in Tallinn  whereas his brother at arms resting in Berlin  enjoys the tranquillity at Berlin’s “Treptower Park”.

Estonian authorities permitted “to lay a barbed wire wreath” to the World War II Bronze Soldier statue in central Tallinn, with police providing security for those taking part in the “ceremony.” The next provocation is to be expected on VE-Day (Victory Day Europe) as Estonian officials announced their plans to reserve the square around the monument on VE-Day to prevent WWII veterans who fought the Nazis from holding their traditional victory celebrations at the site.

In my previous entry on this topic, “Remove the Monuments ?” , I have pointed out my view on this affair and tried to highlight the general view in Germany on monuments and cemeteries commemorating the fallen soldiers of World War 2.

Comments to this entry, made by an Estonian national, speak for themselves and can be read in the comment section of this blog. Estonia’s behaviour in this “affair” can, in my humble opinion, be only seen as an act of national disgrace in the aspect of respecting the dead. Abusing memorials to feed exaggerated nationalism or “patriotism” reflects poor credit on Estonia, a “freshman” to the European Union  who obviously has not entirely arrived in Europe yet. The question arises whether Estonia will ever arrive in Europe when continuing to display such a “Third World Style” behaviour.

There regularly are protests in national and international newspapers when some demented Nazis desecrate Jewish gravesites or Holocaust memorials. And these protests are legitimate and justified, one of the loudest voices in the chorus of the protestors is mine. So the Estonian nationalists are well advised to not expect me to remain silent when they openly suggest to desecrate a war memorial.

To make my point clear again, so hopefully even the last demented nationalist will finally understand it, my standpoint does not uniquely address this particular bronze soldier in Estonia. I am addressing every monument, cemetery, statue, whatsoever in entire Europe.

I am as much in opposition to the Estonian nationalists on the topic of the “Bronze Soldier” as I am in opposition to any demented member of France’s “Front Nationale”, who might suggest to turn the allied cemeteries in Normandy into a golf course, or any retarded German “Neo-Nazi” who gets his kicks off painting swastikas on gravestones. 

The Estonian nationalists should recognize that the profanation of the “Bronze Soldier” is no minor offence.  It’s not like spitting on the sidewalk, it’s more like spitting in the face of the dead and I find it difficult to believe that such a behaviour could possibly be a part of Estonia’s national character.