Life is so very simpel .... Now we have a opportunity to remake the world .... WAR and CHAOS. 😳 🇺🇸 🇩🇪

Speech by Lars Klingbeil, FES Tiergarten Conference 2022 `Watershed Moment - The Start of a New Era' | June 21, 2022 |

When I was 11 years old, the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War was over. That was one of those moments. The idea of communism was dead and there was only this one path to the future: the path of liberal democracy. The clash of ideologies seemed to have been resolved. I never understood the insane idea of suppressing freedom behind walls. But that this attempt had been made left a deep impression on me.

When I was 23 and in New York for an internship, I witnessed the 9/11 attacks firsthand in that great city. The attacks changed my view of the world in many respects. They politicised me, shaped my relationship with the Bundeswehr and reinforced my interest in security policy.

And now: February 24, 2022. The beginning of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. A caesura for the European peace order. A `watershed moment'.

We are facing a huge political task. The old has ceased to exist, but the new has not yet begun.

Also published as an opinion piece ..

Op-Ed: What the Watershed Moment Means for German Foreign Policy

The Cold War never ceased dumb a$$ ... just 44 years old, missed the connection with reality. Truly wonder whether this guy has insight in historical facts and the ability to analyze the present situation and a vision for tomorrow without war! If he has talent for the military, he should train to become a general.

'Sapere aude'