That rapprochement with Russia (almost) happened in the 1970s. The so-called ‚Jahrhundertgeschäft‘ of bartering pipelines in return for gas started under Brandt (SPD). Later on Kohl was famously chummy with Gorbachev. After 1990 a lot of ‚Russian’ Germans emigrated, not always easily but Russia was not seen as any kind of enemy.
This downright hysterical attitude towards Russia is a recent development and I wonder where it came from.
That rapprochement with Russia (almost) happened in the 1970s. The so-called ‚Jahrhundertgeschäft‘ of bartering pipelines in return for gas started under Brandt (SPD). Later on Kohl was famously chummy with Gorbachev. After 1990 a lot of ‚Russian’ Germans emigrated, not always easily but Russia was not seen as any kind of enemy.
This downright hysterical attitude towards Russia is a recent development and I wonder where it came from.
The US neocons, is what I think.
I also suspect Germany may revert to the historical norm at some point, mostly out of logic and necessity.
An American commenter offered this as an easy explanation of how we differ:
"In America, a hundred years was a long time ago; in Europe, a hundred miles is far away"
That's actually not that bad an explanation I think.
That makes so much sense, to be honest.