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Comment by rollo | Hacker News Reader

As a German I don't see this as an issue. Some German politicians have deep connections to enemy states, so why wouldn't the NSA spy on them? It's in our best interest even, because those politicans are a danger to Europe and Germany itself. You can also see the problem with Germany and France not behaving as allies of the USA in the war against Russia.

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As a German I very much see that as an issue. If there indeed are polititions having "deep connections to enemy states" (who do you mean?), I want the democratic process to handle that, not the intelligance agency of another state. What do we need a parliament for, anyway, if you think a practically unregulated third party is the right way to handle domestic discourse?

We need it because Germany has shown it is unable to do the right thing or even act in its own interest without external help.

* we are not at war against Russia

* given the recent news, I do not really consider the USA as an ally. (I'm french)

We are back to cold war levels, even further than that. And it's a mistake, the USA guarantees our security right now, since the EU states reduced their military to a point that they are unable to deal with an aggressor. Nor is there the political will to deal with it.

A single nuke is sufficient to deal with any reasonable aggressor and nonreasonable aggressors are rarely if ever a serious threat to any country. As such, it is quite perfectly senseless to spend billions on tanks and fighters when your next-door neighbour is happy sharing their nukes with you.

It's precisely the other way arround. This sketch is a humorous but precise assessment of this strategic issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX_d_vMKswE Relying on nuclear deterrent against modern hybrid warfare means you will lose.

Yet even with a huge conventional army, the US were unable to secure the territorial integrity of the Ukraine as originally agreed upon in 199x in return for giving up their nuclear weapons.

Hence, neither a conventional army nor human-operated nuclear weapons (an actual real life example rather than a sketchy sketch of this would have been the Falkland War, btw) provide a sufficient deterrent, making an automatic Doomsday device à la Dr. Strangelove the only logical choice.

Is that what you’re saying?

Incorrect. Thanks to the ability of the US to project conventional force, they have deployed troops in Eastern Europe, the Baltic and the Black seas, thus stopping any further Russian aggression. This could only be done through a show of force that displays the ability and willingness to engage Russian forces should they try their tactics on a NATO state.

Furthemore, the US are keeping their side of the agreement. They are providing Ukraine with military equipment and intelligence and leading the way in destabilizing Putin's regime through sanctions. Thanks to that multi-levelled support and offensive Russia is right now losing the war in Ukraine and is on the brink of a Revolution itself.

All of this with barely any help from central Europe, which has its head up its ass and has succumbed to Russian influence and propaganda.

>Relying on nuclear deterrent against modern hybrid warfare means you will lose

The point is that it can also means everyone lose.

I'm intrigued, tell us more about the war against Russia. Which German politicians have deep connections with enemy states, and what are those states?

Russia has infiltrated our political class on multiple fronts. The most visible of course has been former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who works for Gazprom. But there are quite a few people involved in that, both in the SPD but also in the CDU. Nevermind the corporations involved, like Wintershall and E.ON. Other vectors of attack have been The Left, through their old SED roots and connection with the KGB. now FSB. And of course the new right-populist AfD party, who are pushing Russia's agenda in Europe.

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