Victor Davis Hanson: Germany’s Descent From ‘Europe’s Powerhouse’ to ‘National Suicide’

Last week, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classified the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), which came in second in the recent federal elections, as a far-right “extremist organization.” Today, the agency lowered AfD’s designation, still allowing surveillance, but under “stricter judicial oversight”, according to Politico.   In less than a decade, Germany went from being the “Powerhouse of Europe” to embracing an all-out strategy of “national suicide.” How and more importantly, why did this happen, asks Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words?”   “Twenty years ago German physicists were the top in the world—nuclear physicists. They would start investing again in nuclear power. They would start up natural gas generation. Wind and solar would be integral, but a small part, because they would need reliable, cheap energy to compete on the world market. They would join the United States and look at China and say, “This is intolerable, this system of mercantilism.” They would close their borders. They would go to an assimilationist model and require immigrants that came legally to fully become Germans. They would do all of that. But instead, when one party is advocating much of what I just talked about, they demonize it because it’s out of the norm. And the norm, unfortunately, in Germany today is national suicide.”   00:00 Introduction: Germany’s Political Shift 00:14 Germany’s Economic Decline 00:58 The Ostracism of Alternativ für Deutschland 01:55 Germany’s Energy and Economic Policies 02:47 Impact of Chinese Mercantilism 03:52 Immigration and Social Integration Issues 04:33 Germany’s Military and Political Landscape 05:55 Conclusion: The Need for Reform