WSJ: "After WWII...there will never again be a war from German soil."

The Wall Street Journal has an article today on German citizens' opinions toward the US official stance on Iraq. If, like me, you've been wondering how the memories of WWII were affecting the German anti-war stance, this article provides some answers. I added the bold below.

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Feelings of guilt and shame for the Holocaust and for Germany's having started the war kept most Germans from publicly mourning their own losses.

Now, an outpouring of memory is changing the public view of World War II, strengthening the German opposition against a threatened war in Iraq as well. While opposition to an attack on Iraq is widespread in many countries, in Germany it is overwhelming -- with about 70% opposed to a U.S.-led attack under any circumstances. The German government stands unequivocally against a war, no matter what weapons inspectors may find in Iraq. Damaging as that position is to Germany's ties with the U.S., it resonates deeply with the German people ( Read more... )

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, facing a tight race in a country suffering from a sick economy, won re-election in September after taking a strong antiwar stand. ( Read more... )

Afterward, Erhard Kuhlke, a 67-year-old retired carpenter, said, "We were told after World War II there will never again be a war from German soil."
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Today, as another international crisis brews, many Germans want to be on the side opposing war this time. ( Read more... )

For some older Germans who followed Hitler into war, now is a chance to speak up. "Last time, we kept our mouths shut," says Mr. Warlich, one of the former antiaircraft gunners at Kassel. "This time, we feel we can do something positive."
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I'm not sure a war with Iraq is right, or wrong. But somehow I find it hard to argue that Germany should take a pro-war agressive stance.

Update: After talking about it a bit with jw1776, I think the key thing to take away from this is that the German people are investing so much into dealing with their past - which is not a bad thing - that they may not be able to view the present except through the prism of the past.

The French & British people may be dealing with some of the same (note Tony Blair's not winning friends among the subjects right now) but they've done more processing of WWII because they didn't feel too guilty to deal with it. Germany had what - 50 years? - of denial first.

This Modern World

Gee, the US doesn't have any racists in leadership, does it?

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Answers to questions from this poll.

What movie is guaranteed to make you cry a little?

Hmm...does the season 2 finale of Buffy count? :) "Postcards From The Edge", "Home For The Holidays".

Will you give me cookies? :)

If you're here and I have them, yes. (That is cookies, not cooties, right? :)

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Another question from this poll...

What sort of stuff do you like to do when out with friends?

Generally I like to do things where we can interact and do something we both enjoy. Visiting libraries, bookstores or interesting shops definately counts. So does walking around a park or at the beach. Board or card games are good, and crafts can work too. Concerts, church services, and movies can work too, if we can agree whether to talk or not *during* the event. (Hint: don't talk to me when Heather is playing! :) Sharing food also works, as I think you know.

(Would you like to do something sometime?)