Germany's Military Conscription: Echoes of History or a Necessary Step for Europe's Security?

Hey everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends. So excited to be with you on this December 22nd. Yeah, 3 more days for Christmas, so for those who celebrates Christmas, very, very, very excited to be with you, uh, because of the topic I'm going to be covering today, a very interesting one if you sort of, uh, uh, uh, put it within the bigger picture and given the history of this particular country as to what happened before. So I'm gonna just provide you my own assessment, my own analysis as to why, uh, this development or this policy emerged all of a sudden, suddenly, and whether there are some other indications for what lies ahead. And this is what I'm gonna be addressing with you. So to those who might be for the first time here, please make sure subscribe to this channel here. And please type in where you are joining me from. And like I always do, I'm going to save my thanks to all the channel members, supporters, and so forth for towards the end when I conclude this, before I'll jump on the other platform for more conversation. So, and I'll post all this for you guys. So, so good to have you here, all of you. Uh, uh, Hinda from Houston, good to have you here. Army with Harmony, good to see you. Timeline from New York City, good to see you. Uh, we are very excited to have you guys here, and I know it takes some delay for this to show up here. So, uh, so what I'm gonna do is, uh, before I'll start, usually I always like to put things in perspective as far as questions for this topic that I'm gonna be covering today and providing your analysis about. Before I'll get into the depth of it. So, so here's the question. I'm gonna just put the question first. Here's how we're gonna do this, guys, just to give you, uh, an idea of how I plan on this. So I'll present the questions for you, something to think about, then I'll move into the headlines from around the world, some key things you need to know, then I'll delve into the analysis of it all, of this particular topic. So All right, here are the questions here, and I want you just to think, just consider as we, we conver— as we converse over this topic, what this, what this decision by the German government means. So, does Germany— here's the first question— does Germany want to establish an independent European Union security? If you notice, I didn't say independent German military? So that's just one question. Second question is, will it work, given— if you understand the transatlantic relations and how we have our thumb on Europe, is this going to work? Because there've been some calls before in Europe, and I'll share all this with you. And the third question, uh, is, is there fear of what might Germany do or become given its history? The same question can be applied to Japan, especially when its defense spending or budget has increased recently. So those are questions just to keep in mind, uh, before I'll, uh, I'll delve deeper into the analysis part. So, so let's share some, uh, uh, some, uh, headlines from around the world to to just put things in perspective for you here. So, so I'm going to start with the first major one, and it is a major one that is now confirmed. If you recall one of my videos, I mentioned to you that I haven't confirmed that yet at that time. Well, now it's official, and that's why I had to wait till I ensure the accuracy of the information. So, so here's the first picture I'm gonna share with you. It's right here. Now, what are you looking at? You are looking at what's named by Fattah Second. There was Fattah One and Fattah Second. What is Fattah Second? Fattah Second is Iran's hypersonic missile. Yeah, last time I told you I couldn't confirm it yet. I had to wait to ensure I was aware of it. Because they already developed Fattah-1. This is the second version of it, another advanced level per se. So, so the image you are looking for is an updated, an upgraded version of Fattah-1, which is the hypersonic, which was revealed— it was revealed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, last June. Yeah, I, I— it was just a conversation of it, so it was reveal about the first one. Now this is the second one, and here is what's interesting about this. The statements coming from the Iranian president, uh, Ebrahim Raisi, is that it said, and I quote, it can beat the most advanced air defense systems. So, so, end of quote. So when you think about something like this, you have to think about what I told you before, why Israel couldn't attack Iran. Because we don't know what Iran has. Now Iran is showing up, you know, uh, like, like drippets, one step at a time. So, so with this discovery, Iran became now the first country in the region, in the Middle East, to possess this technology. Even Israel doesn't have it. So, and the fourth country in the world of the list of countries that includes, uh, they are the, those countries that manufacture the hypersonic including Russia, China, and United States. So Iran now is number 4 in the world. And this is why it's, uh, because this one now, in my opinion, as a geopolitical analyst, as one who was on the ground in the Middle East, this is now a potential enhancement for Iran military capabilities vis-à-vis Israel or the West writ large. This is why I'm saying There is no way any country now is going to attack— well, any country, we're talking about the main two, one the US and, uh, Israel. Now the UK, France, Germany, those are nothing but, uh, they have to follow, uh, what the master says. So that's the first one. Let me share the next picture, uh, with you. Let me see what it is. I'm sorry, the next headline, that is. And this one has to do with mercenaries. Those in the— this is, uh, by the way, I gotta give credit to the, uh, image here. And this image was, uh, uh, it was on social media, by the way. And I'll give credit to the source of this, from Al Jazeera. That's what it was. So, so what happened? 7 of the Ukrainian Uh, uh, uh, uh, mercenaries were killed in Soreja. So because Israel is using Ukrainians, uh, from Kiev, and this is what has been going on with this particular image. I just wanted to show you there are foreign fighters inside, uh, Israel as we speak. Here is another image of foreign fighters. Those are French-Israeli, or Israeli-French, whatever way you want to term. Now, where's the problem with this? Which is a big problem, because now is this scandal in France that have shakes now the pillars of a French society. The French people didn't even know. And now with this discovery, or this emergence of this news, it's adding now to the government's volatile positions on the ongoing, uh, turmoil in Gaza strip. So, so how this information came about, which by the way the source again was Al Jazeera, not the Washington Post. What happened is that the MP, uh, Thomas Porte, he is like the head of the, uh, the, uh, far-right group called Proud France Party. He revealed that the presence of about 4,185 according to the source here, of French Israelis in the ranks of, of the army in Israel with the idea. So what happened basically is now they're going to be charged with war crimes, you know. And this is why this party in France is calling now for a trial of thousands of French soldiers. And I got to give credit here to the, uh, uh, uh, the, uh, source, the Al Jazeera, that disclose this information. Now the question regarding this one here: are we going to see another Nuremberg like what happened after World War II? And, and I posted this for you in the, uh, uh, community post. So, uh, third one, I don't have an image for it, but I just forgot to put it. And this one has to do with the UN Security Council. I posted this for you yesterday on the community. Guess what? This postponing the vote again. As of today, they have not reached a vote yet. So, so it says that Security Council postpones the vote on the Gaza draft resolution. It tells you right there where things are. And the last thing I want to share with you is from Taiwan. What you're looking at here is the image of, uh, uh, the two front runners. And by the way, I gotta give credit to, uh, the writer of this article by the name of Thompson Cho. He's the contributor writer for this article where I found this image here. And the image source is also by Hiroki Indo and AP, Associated Press. So that's where the credit goes to regarding this picture you're looking at. So what you're looking at is the Taiwan presidential— presidential, even though you and I know there's no such thing, but that's how it is. We call it as it is for now. Frontrunner Lai Chiang-te, who's the one on the left, and the new Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-hui on the right. So what happens basically The Taiwan presidential now front runners, Lee Kuan Yew's lead over his main opposition rival, but that margin has narrowed now, and that's setting a stage now for closer race in the final weeks. Because remember, at the end of January, that's where the results will, will be appear. While the last, the, uh, the— what's his name? Lee Kuan Yew ticket representing the ruling party, the current one, leads with about 37.3% according to this source that I— or the article where I read it. So 37.3% support, followed by Ho Yu-hee of opposition KMT with 33.4%. And by the way, this is according to the survey that was just conducted 2 days ago. Between the 19th and the 21st of this month. And this survey, or the poll, was conducted by Formosa. That's the one that conducted the, the, uh, the survey. It's clear indication where things are headed in Taiwan, but we don't know yet till the end, till the end of the elections by the next month. And I'm keeping an eye on it. I will do an update for you regarding this one. So, so this is what I wanted to share with you as far as headlines from around the world. So, oh, uh, I see Harry, Harry Lukel, good to see you as always. Adam, good to see you as always. Uh, all of you guys, good to have you here. So we're gonna have an interesting conversation All right, let's talk about our topic today. German— Germany considering bringing back military conscripts. So of course, if you know the history, which I'm going to get into about this one, but I'm not going to want to focus on this from this. What I want to focus on this in this brief analysis about it is the idea of how this now is going to change, hypothetically, if this to move forward How will it change the security architecture in Europe? Is this an indication for the end of NATO? What do you think? Is this hinting at we don't want NATO anymore because we can manage our own security? So, so here's the background for those who might not know exactly what happened. So, well, the defense minister, the German defense minister, his name is Boris Pistorius. He stated, and I quote, looking at all options after admitting the scrapping conscription in 2011 has been a mistake in hindsight, end of quote. And now what's going on with Germany, this is now policy that is, is, is debated furiously, rather within the parliament, and they are now saying that the government of Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, needs to take a look at this. So Germany now is looking. Remember, this policy, it's just a debate right now, but usually that's how things start. That's why I always say words tend to turn into policy. That's why politicians have to be very measured in this word, assuming those are the right politicians. The ones that I call them statesmen, which they are none anyway. You and I know the reality of what's going on. So Germany is looking into ways to bring back conscription after the country's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, uh, defense minister, said that abolishing it has been a— and I put this in quote— mistake. Well, of course, now Berlin, the capital of Germany, is now evaluating which models to follow. Are we gonna follow, like, I mean, Germany— is Germany is gonna be following France model? Uh, Netherlands, UK, Greece, Turkey, they are looking. And but the problem they already have is that they already noticing their recruitments is a challenge. They couldn't attract recruits even with how things are now. They just couldn't do it. It's the same thing we have here in the US. The US military is struggling. The Pentagon is struggling to, uh, hire— or, or recruits, rather. And this is why we have what we have when it comes down to immigration. The borders is open in the southern part of Texas. I live in Texas, so I'm aware of what's going on over there because that's where those male— military age male are allowed to get in, because those— that's the ones going to fill in the ranks in a military. So, so as I said, Germany now is evaluating which model to follow, okay? But just for you, to give you a brief before I'll go into the geography and history, you have to go back to 2010, and exactly when Angela Merkel was still the chancellor of Germany at that time, It was in November 22nd. Yeah, 22nd of November 2010. That's when the German Ministry of Defense— or Minister of Defense, rather, at that time— proposed the government to put conscription into abeyance, and on July— meaning to eliminate it. And on July 1st, 2011, it was fait accompli. Okay, there was only one, one, uh, one caveat to all that, which a lot of people didn't know at that time, even inside Germany. And the reason I'm saying they didn't know, because I have family who lives in Germany, in Stuttgart, and there was no conversation on all this. So what happened is that the Constitution of Germany at that time, when they made the changes, retained and still till today retained provisions that would legalize the potential reintroduction of conscription. That's exactly what took place at that time. And I have the article for you that I'm gonna post it for you later on. So, um, so that's what I want you to understand. So when the decision was made, 2011, But the door was left ajar just in case. And the big issue with this is not about just this, is what lies ahead given the changes that's going on on the global geopolitical landscapes. So before we move forward into this discussion here, let's, let's check out the geography of Germany and a little bit of history, because remember, there are certain terminology I'm not going to be able to say here. This is why I'm having the conversation next door, right after this one here, and I will share it with you, the link and all that stuff. So, so let's, uh, let's start with geography, and I'm going to share, uh, the screen with you rather. There we go. Okay, it takes a while to show up here. There we go. Get my full screen. And this is, uh, this is Germany. So Germany, where it's situated right at the heart of Europe. This is why anytime you mention the European Union, who do you— who do you really— who comes to mind right away? France and Germany, that's about it. So, and France is kind of losing, and so is Germany now, the economy, what it is. So Germany is situated in Central Europe and usually, uh, shares— not usually, but it shares borders. I've been in Germany so many times, so I'm very familiar with the, the north and the south of Bavaria area and the city of Kiel. It's K-I-E-L. It's known for windsurfing. If you do windsurfing, you know what I'm talking about. It was anytime when I will cross to Scandinavians, I will go through Hamburg, Kiel, and up to Denmark and so forth. So, so this country, Germany, shares the borders with 9 countries. So if you look at, uh, let me see if, uh, it might not show this one here, uh Yeah, you could see a little bit, but it doesn't show much. Let me see if there is another, another one that has— no, those are the, the provinces. Yeah, it doesn't have that one here. I, I should have put up one that has the name of, uh, nonetheless, you, you guys will know when I mention the countries. So there are 9 countries. Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east. Speaking of Czech Republic, do you guys know what's going on in Prague? The shooting that took place in Prague with 24 people dead already at the university in Prague. Whoever thought, right? So the Czech Republic, uh, to the east, Austria, which by the way, Austria is another country that is voting against humanitarian aid in Gaza. Yeah, Austria, just keep that in mind also. And Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, known as the Benelux, uh, to the west. Then the Baltic Sea and the North Sea from the northern maritime border. Those are the, the, uh, the countries that surround, Germany. So, and here is the other map that I wanted to show you. It's a big country. Uh, I— here is, here's the city of, uh, of Kiel. I want you to show it to you. K-I-E-L. This is usually when you get the, the ferry to cross into the Denmark. But this area is known for windsurfing. If you, if you like windsurfing, that's when, uh, uh, most of the time I spent my time in Bavaria. The south. Cologne is another nice city there. Uh, Germany is— it's, it's a nice place, very, very nice place. Sadly to see what is becoming of Germany right now. So let me share this one here with you guys. Those are the— and those I remember in German, uh, uh, spelling, or German, yeah, in German language. So I'm going to have them in English for you uh, just to make it easier pronunciation-wise. So Germany is known as the Federal Republic of Germany, of course, after unification between East and West. It is divided into 16 states. That's like the equivalency for us, you know, the— there are states, same thing in Germany, and they are referred to as federal states in English language, and in German is known as the Bundesländer. I hope I pronounce it correctly. I don't speak German. The rest of my family does, but I don't. And they include, uh, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern— Bayern, that's where the, the, uh, Bavaria, Bayern Munich, the soccer team is in Bavaria. Then there is Berlin, then there, there is Brandenburg, there is Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, or Hesse as known Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Niedersachsen. That's— it's the Lower Saxony. There's two, there is Lower Saxony and, and Upper Saxony. Then there is North Rhine, which is Westphalia. If you all know what Westphalia is, right? Can anybody tell me what happened in Westphalia? Then there is Saarland. Saxon, Saxony, and there is also Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. So, so that's the— those are German. It's— remember what Westphalia happened there, right? Let me see if anybody can type in, in the chat box. I'm Westphalia. Yeah, it's, it's not in history, guys. It's part of, of, uh, what took place way back during World War II at the same time. So let me talk briefly about a brief, brief snapshot of German history. And it's, it's, it's, it is a long history, of course, if you go to Germany, how it used to be back then. So, and here is the key that I need you to understand from this brief snapshot of history about Germany. Germany has rarely been united. This is what I want you to get. Even the unification, the East and West, uh, uh, if, if you go there and you talk, it is a different conversation inside. So, so for most of the two millennia that Central Europe has been inhabited by German-speaking people, that's how it's always been. So including, for example, the Eastern, uh, Franks, the area now called Germany. It was divided into hundreds of states, yeah, and many, of course, they were very, very small, and including duchies, the duchies, principalities, free cities, and ecclesiastical states. Interesting how Germany used to be, or Germania as they used to call it back then. And here's the interesting aspect that I found throughout the record of history about Germany, and again, it's a brief snapshot of it. Not even the Romans— and you all remember the Roman Empire at its height, how strong it was— not even the Romans united what is now known as Germany. Under one government, because it wasn't. What they managed to do is they managed to occupy only its southern and western portions. And in about, uh, 800 AD, Charlemagne, who had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III, ruled over a territory that encompassed much of present-day Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. But within a generation, its existence was more symbolic than real. This is what's very, very, uh, interesting about, about this one here. And by the way, uh, there is, uh, there, there is a, uh, an article out there by Sabine Sebold who wrote, uh, some changes about what's coming regarding Germany vis-à-vis its, uh— let me stop the screen here— vis-à-vis it's what's going with this policy declaration. That is where the challenge is going to be. So it is now the question that's going to be before us is, uh, what will Germany do? Is it strengthening its military? For what reason? Is it to get out of NATO? Uh, this is an image of the, uh, defense minister with soldiers. Is it to strengthen its own? Is it to be independent from NATO? Is it spell out the security for the EU? Nobody's clear about exactly what Germany wants to do. The one thing that I have found, and again through my own contacts, is that so far it's not been reported officially, uh, that those are based on the conversations that I had with people that I trust and I know, is that so far Germany is looking at Norway, the model, the military model of Norway. Why? I don't know. I, I don't have an answer to that one. So, so, and this is what now, uh, Germany is hoping for. Now the question is, why all of a sudden this? Why bringing the conscription back? Is Germany now realizing after the fiasco of the Ukraine, they are realizing they can't be under the US anymore? Well, how could they choose when we still have over almost 40— between 40,000 and 50,000 troops on German soil? And the base is there. So that's, to me, when you have a foreign force that size, that means you don't have any sovereignty. That's the way I see it. It's because if you do, you will only enter into some sort of arrangements where you have a small, uh, uh, uh, size military presence, not almost 50,000 troops. That's the same arguments made about Japan. Or about South Korea, especially in Japan when it comes down to Okinawa, given the history of how Okinawans have never wanted to be associated with Japan. And the same argument has been made about the, the establishment of the military. Second key question that we need to, uh, uh, bring to, to the fore, it has to do with whether Germany can be trusted. Now we all know the history of Germany. Yeah, you all know this, it's nothing new. And, and I am not— I'm not sort of pointing fingers here or talking negative. It's just I'm a student of history. I tend to look at the trends over time, and that gives me usually an indication as to where things are. That, that's just how, how I interpret, certain dimensions. So, uh, I have a picture, by the way, that I forget to share with you. This picture pertained to the time of Westphalia when the German military were— so I had to dig into the archives and just look for something that will make more sense to you guys. And this is Olaf Scholz when he's addressing the military about this particular policy, but it was the defense minister Uh, what Olaf Scholz stated has to do with threatening the German people that he will, uh, institute the national emergency. And I'm gonna talk about this in the next, uh, uh, uh, live, and I'm gonna share the link with you so you guys can see it where I'm gonna be, because I'm gonna refer to it as R. You know what it means. That's where I'm gonna be. And I'm gonna detail more about some other aspects we can talk about. We all know by now, there is no need to beat the dead horse. There is no need to waste energy. I'm here with you guys because of positive energy. That is the key. When you get into this negative stuff, we all know now how things are, so we don't need to be just repeating the, the mantra over and over. Yeah, you move on, you move on. We're smart enough to think far ahead. So, so, but this is where I'm gonna be in about, uh, what time is it now? In about, yeah, about 20 minutes, 30 minutes or so. So I'm gonna be there. So just make sure to join me, uh, over that one there. So this is where the idea of where Germany is now moving forward with this, uh, direction. So, and by the way, these documents where the Ministry of Defense mentioned about this, which was about— I, I'm, I'm gonna post the link for you guys, about 19 pages of it. And basically indicating that this major shift of policy that the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have issued was basically a reaction to Russia operations in, in, in Ukraine, which to me doesn't make sense. You know, you could have done this way back before in 2014. Why did you have to wait till today? I think that the, the changes that is going on inside Germany, given where the tensions are, and even, uh, and I'm gonna share one picture with you guys because I got it through my tweet here, and, uh, Aussie David, it was the idea of, uh, what's, what's going on in, uh, in Germany. Uh, people are realizing, okay, this, this go in some different direction that we never anticipated. So, and here is what I'm going to share with you guys, uh, because I want you to see it with your own eyes. Share screen. Those are the farmers in Germany. Yeah, we don't hear much about it, but that's, you know, and, and the reason why they are out there, the reason— can anybody tell me why there are massive these demonstrations? Why that is? Oh, it didn't show up. It did show up here. There we go. Oh, you guys can't, can't see it. Yeah, it's not uploading. I don't know why. Okay, let me stop sharing here and I'll share it again. Interesting. Share screen. Okay, there we go. Maybe it was just a glitch. No, it's not showing. That's interesting, very interesting. But don't worry, guys, I'll, uh, I'll share it with you in the next, uh, in the next conversation. So for now, we just keep moving here, uh, as to what we need to do. Very interesting, this dynamic. So, um, what's this one here? This is a German, uh, military exercises that were conducted at some point. Um, so here's the thing. Olaf Scholz already mentioned in one of his speech, and I was aware of it, and I did disclose this in one of my videos when he said that German is going to have to allocate about €100 billion in special funds to purchase modern weapons and pledged to reach NATO's target of spending at least 2% by 2024. No, is this part of that? I don't think so. I think Germany has been pressured behind close doors to just embark on this policy. Because again, just common sense, guys, if this would have to happen, why didn't it happen back in 2014? And, and I just don't— I don't buy it. I don't buy the arguments that this is, uh, just because they want to do it. And even if we go with the argument, even if we go with the argument that, uh, Germany wants to, let's say, establish European security, because there has been a talk before about Europe, Europe establishing its own security, uh, force. I don't see that happening. France has been talking about this for the last 15 years. Where is it? It's not going to happen. So, so it becomes just the question, what would be the objective for Germany to announce something like this that coincides with Olaf Scholz threatening to impose a national emergency on the Germans. That just doesn't, doesn't add up to me. So the only thing that I see with this is, uh, for Germany is to ensure that its military is up to standard. Has nothing to do with Germany itself, but it has to do, for example, with Poland. This is just as an example and me thinking outside the box. Why? Because German— uh, Polish military, it is upgrading its standards. Polish military now is considered one of, you know, good ones in Europe. Still not in comparison to, let's say, the advanced ones, but it is sort of reorganizing its military apparatus. So could Germany be reading between the lines that they wanted to remain the strongest in Europe? Because Poland is an EU member, you know. Could this dispel the tensions inside the German administration? Possibly, possibly not. But one thing is sure is that that doesn't convey to me that Germany is going to be leading a new security architecture in Europe apart from NATO. And whether NATO will exist or not, that's a separate question altogether. And I don't see that because Germany doesn't have, doesn't have the, the not only infrastructure the, the resources to ensure, because that comes with commitments also. If you are to take the lead as a security force, let alone other countries won't want to fall under German authority or German leadership given the history, you know. And, and, and I'm gonna get into this part in the next, uh, uh, live stream elsewhere, uh, where I'm gonna talk in detail because we're gonna talk about an entity that took place during the 1930s. You all know what I'm referring to because even the word is not allowed to be said here. You believe it? So, but, but you need to understand those dimensions for you to put this in perspective. Mind you, there is one aspect that you need to know, is that Germany has been selling weapons, uh, to other countries in the Middle East massively. And I'll disclose certain aspects of it in the next live stream right after this one here. So, so this is why I do believe, uh, uh, this decision, it was, it was a hasty, it was whatever you want to call it, because it didn't happen. Because here is the thing, if we are to go back and look at history, just you put this within the context of historical settings. So the, the tensions that exist right now within the parliaments inside Germany about this, because the dispute about this one started during an interview when the defense minister Boris Pistorius, uh, uh, Pistorius, yes, Pistorius, uh, said that it was a mistake to phase out conscription more than 10 years ago. So, but again, if you go back into history, what are you going to find out about specifically Germany is that between 1956 and 2011— 2011 is when it became official, they ended that— is that German men were required to perform some form of civic service upon turning 18, and with it the youth at the time not wanting to serve in the army, having the choice to carry out, uh, whatever other aspirations within the civic institutions, such as— meaning if they choose not to be in the military, they can go somewhere else. Well, they did have other options, like for example serving in hospitals, serving homes for the elderly, like, like nursing homes for the elderly and so So what happened after the fall of the, of the Berlin Wall? Staffing requirements of a smaller army shrank completely. And during that time, both services— remember, this is between 1956 and 2011— both services were suspended under Angela Merkel, the former chancellor, in 2011. This is why the current defense minister saying it was a mistake. But like I said earlier, it was a clause that will allow the state to put men into the armed forces that remain part of the German Basic Law. That was done by design. So now army officials are saying we are having difficulties filling up the ranks of the Bundeswehr, which is the military, that is because Germany has no more than 183,000. That's it, that's all they have. So this is where the problems, uh, that has become, uh, very, very important to understand. There's one thing I need to bring to your attention here, and this one has to do with, uh, when I mentioned earlier, uh, about, uh, how this came to be, especially with German, uh, history. And I'm going to share a link with you. That's what I have this picture here, guys. Uh, Where is it? This picture right here. This one, it's a reflection of the German Reich Chancellor. You all know which one, right? Without naming names here, 1935. Can you guys type that in the chat box? Because I want to make sure you are getting it right. So, you know, just type in the name by itself. Because it's banned on this channel. You can't say it. You got it, you got it, you got it, you got it, H. You got it, you got it, Maria. Indeed, indeed, that's what it was, that's what it was. Let me, let me guys quickly say thank you to Alim for for the Super Sticker. Thank you very much, Alimseen. Truly, truly appreciate it. I also want to say thanks to SKL— or KL, I'm sorry, KL. Thank you so much for your continued support. Alimseen and KL have been supporting both channels. Truly, truly appreciate you. Uh, there are some of you guys, you know, and again, this is not— I thank you all whether you, uh, support this channel through this means or not. I still say thank you to you. But there are some of you who responded to the call when I asked for where you can do your support elsewhere from here, and they were— and I'm going to share those names as I move for— as I move forward into the conversation here. So, so thank you all for your support. So here is Sardar, Sardar Maronci. Thank you so much for your Super Sticker, truly appreciate it. And so good to have you here, Sadar. I greatly appreciate you. So what happened back then? And by the way, this, uh, this aspect that I'm sharing with you is from a book by— and I got to give credit where credit is due— a book written by Richard Evans, if you want to look it up. And this book goes back to 2005. You know, this is where I keep my own— that's why I spend my time doing the research for all this stuff here. I'm— unfortunately, it's— they don't want people to know, they don't want people to become informed. So, so in any event, uh, at that time, uh, this was, uh, sort of the establishment or the reintroduction of the conscription in 1935 was a direct violation of one of the basics of restrictions in Versailles Treaty. If you all know anything about the Versailles Treaty, Versailles Treaty has put the limitations on Germany at that time. So, and that's also when this reintroduction of the conscription was a violation of the creation of the law of— which is the interior minister, uh, that was disclosed who drafted the letter by the name Willem Frick, F-R-I-C-K, is the one who dra— drafted the conscription law. So, and I'll share this link with you guys. I just want you to be aware of these images here and what it means. And this why this— it's not happening in a vacuum. There is reasons for why all this is going on. As far as, uh, what's the purpose of all of a sudden Germany is doing this? No. And again, all of this was also to the reaction of what Olaf Scholz, Chancellor Scholz, said, uh, against the Russians, because it was to him was a turning point, but it wasn't. It's because here lies the, the, the, uh, economic downturn he put Germany under. Because he followed policies without understanding the ramification, the long term of it. That is where the difference is, and I believe that's what happened, uh, with this one here. Uh, this picture, I'm gonna— there's one more picture that I need to share with you. Uh, those are the German military taking part of, uh, I think it was a NATO exercise. If, if it's still here. No, I don't have the picture here. I moved— no, it's, it's right here. There we go. That's what it is. There was taking part of some exercises that was conducted, uh, by NATO. So this is where I see the challenges that lies ahead for Germany, is that how they're gonna finance all this one now, you know. Where is the money that's going to come from when the economy— mind you that the company Siemens just shut down its operation in, in, in Asia. They can't afford it anymore and lay off whatever because the cost of energy. Uh, even German companies themselves, uh, Uh, Francis Tango, yes, I'm gonna put the copyright for it as well. No, so the, uh, what was I saying here? I, I, I got lost now. So, so is the idea of thinking in terms of where this is headed. Yeah, Germany's economy is already going a different direction. It's no different than ours here, even though our administration saying, uh, uh, saying that our economy is about 4.9%, it's not true. It's not true. So that's not true. So, and I'm gonna talk a little bit more openly in the next segment. So just remember to to join me, guys, on this one right here. I'll post it for you, so I will be there soon. All right, guys, I'm gonna take one question or two from you, and but before I'll do that, of course, I need to say thank you to the channel members and supporters. And I'm gonna start with, uh, uh, let me— a new member for the channel by the name Joby, J-O-B-Y. Thank you very much for becoming a channel member. Truly appreciate your support. But I also want to give a shout out to the new members who bought me coffee, but they bought the membership on, on Ko-fi. So the first person was, uh, uh, Demodos Cutter was the first. Second one was Ken Schaefer. Uh, those are for the basic membership. Vanessa Martini, uh, for the gold membership. Uh, I want to say give a shout out to an. Then Salim Akil, thank you very much for your support on the big— on, on, on the big chat, on the, on the Buy Me a Coffee. Uh, that's the support goes directly there. There's a small percentage that goes to the Buy Me a Coffee platform. That's the norm. Very different than what it is here, because on, on this one here, uh, I'm gonna type in the number for you. So you guys know, uh, how much that is here. They taking— this is the number. Yeah, that's how much they are taking here. So, all right, let me take a question or two here for you guys, and I will see you on this location here, uh, about, uh, 20 minutes from now. All right, let me remove this one from, uh, the banner, like this one, and I'm going to share the question. Uh, all right, question from, uh, Timeline Dunkley. Good to see you here, man. Question: if Germany fights Russia, will NATO try to help them? No, Germany cannot fight Russia. Nobody can fight Russia. I'll tell you this straightforward, they don't have the means to fight Russia. And second, Russia— all you're hearing, the terms about Russia is going to invade Europe, it's nothing but hypes. That's just the, the narrative to justify whatever. But no, Germany cannot fight Russia. I mean, it, it will be suicide. But they're not— they're not equipped to do that. So, uh, whole Europe for that matter. What we're gonna do is push them first to the front line, exactly what's going to be in, in Philippines. So why, uh, why is that the, the answer for it? Why? It's because it will be devastation for Germany. And why would even Germany consider that? Yeah, yeah, they're not going to do that. Yeah, it's— there is no way Germany cannot fight. No, no other country can fight now because they gone. You take the example of, of the exception, rather of the Russians themselves, the Chinese, maybe Iran and North Korea. North Korea, as a matter of fact, just declared now that if it's— if it is provoked, uh, by any— here is the keyword— by any nuclear state, they will react with nuclear weapons. That tells you right there. That tells you right there. So, uh, but that is what, uh, that is— no, just, uh, there is no way Germany will fight now. All right, Francis Tango, let me see this one. Question: I heard that most industry countries like Germany are going to the US, they are suppressed. Uh, I didn't hear that one, but again, the cost is how much it's going to cost them. What we are doing is regarding the gas, you know, we are selling gas to Europe 5 times the price what they used to buy. And you know, if you look at, if you think about it literally If, if, if they can sustain that for 5 years, even 10 years, at some point they're gonna— this is gonna start cutting into their profits. And they're gonna say— this is why you have Siemens, which is a big, big company in Germany, shutting down its, its, uh, plants elsewhere outside, because the cost of energy. Now you got a company in Germany, which does shipment, uh, shipping— I'm sorry, shipping, uh, containers sea freight. Now they are rerouting 25 ships around, uh, Cape of Hope in South Africa to get to Asia. Can you just imagine the cost associated with rerouting 25 ships because they couldn't go through the Red Sea? And speaking of Red Sea, I got something major to share with you that just came to my attention. And, uh, this one, by the way, came through Ozzy's Cossack. He shared that with me on my Twitter feed. But again, I don't know if it will show up here. If it does, that's great. If not, uh, I'll share it with you in the next, uh, setting. All right, let me share this with you to show you something. There we go. Funny how this showed up but not the other one, but anyway, it's not a big deal. So what are you looking at? You are looking at the, uh, the, uh, the Houthis allowing only the Russian ships to get through. Isn't that interesting? Now that's what they're doing. Very, very, very interesting. And it tells you right there where the dynamics are. That's, that's where the difference is. All right, I'll do one more question, guys, and I'm gonna sign off from here. And I'll go to— please, I, I know, even if you hit the like button, they— I hope somebody in YouTube let this go. Come on, man, you know what, they're becoming— it's becoming ridiculous. Very ridiculous. So, um, but there is what it is, you know, you move on. That's one thing about life, you know, you think about it literally. I'm not gonna get philosophical on you here, but you just think about it. Before we are born, okay, and the time we check out from this world, world. So before we were born, we were in a state of non-existence. When we check out from here, we are in a state of non-existence. So what it becomes, it becomes just that period from you when you are born to the day you check out. What have you accomplished? What have you done? And you become to ask yourself, do I waste my energy on being agitated and angry, this and this? Or you just move on with what's important in life. And what's important in life, at least for me, doing this is to raise your level of awareness intellectually. Because I am not looking at it for numbers. This is why, no matter what I do, they have the means to control it by reducing the numbers of likes, or, you know, whatever, uh, limit the monetizations of it. What— there's nothing I can do about that. More power, life goes on. What is important is that the message does not get lost. And that message is raising awareness is very important. Now you can do one thing on your end is by spreading the word about the channels, because you know the algorithm can only do so much. But if you have a— hypothetically, let's just for the sake of— if you share this with one person versus if you share it with 100 people, you know how much the algorithm can do. But again, the objective is not that. The objective is you develop some sort of critical thinking that is really missed by many, my fellow Americans here. That's why some of us Americans are clueless. They don't understand what is going on and being oblivious to the reality of it. That is what my objective is. And I thank you for your continued support in whatever capacity you do. Because I made a commitment to you. That's the way I look at it. So, all right guys, I— yeah, you are most welcome, Maria. You're most welcome, Maria, Maria del Carmel. Thank you for your nice word. You're most welcome, most welcome. All right guys, I see you guys on the other side— not the other side though, on the other platform. So as always, remember, geopolitics impact, uh, uh, I'm, I'm a lot because I'm reading, I'm reading your comments here, uh, as always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys, soon. Bye-bye.