A Missing Voice from the German Election

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On Tuesday night I had the fortune of attending a briefing on the recent German elections. My current work isn't terribly Euro-centric so this was an excellent chance to see where things stand in what I've always considered to be the keystone state in our European foreign policy.

As most of you have probably heard, there has been a bit of a change in Germany following these elections. For the last few years Germany has had the misfortune of trying to move forward under a "grand coalition" of center right and center left politicians. Why Germans thought it grand to create a coalition of politicians that brought the nation's government to a virtual standstill policy-wise, I really couldn't say. Germans can be a most peculiar bunch when left entirely to their own devices. And I say that as someone who has a great deal of affinity for their culture, hospitality and potential.

But getting back to the meeting, I was a bit surprised to learn that the turnout in this election was low, especially in a key demographic...youth. Granted I have not (nor had election watchers at this meeting) seen the numbers broken down, but the word on the street is that the younger generation sat this one out.

I suppose that from the perspective of my political leanings, this wasn't too problematic. Germany now has a right of center government that is far more friendly to policies such as relaxed labor laws, competitive tax rates and more disciplined fiscal behavior than other recent coalitions. Indeed I really can't imagine that any of this will hurt Germany's rather moribund economy, which has spent the last couple of decades trading its ability to create jobs in the private sector for the bankrupting practice of growing the state.

Still, when individuals sit out elections--especially when they're in that younger demographic--I don't view it as a good thing.

Beyond the obvious economic concerns that were at play in this election, there were three other issues that I'd like to think are important enough to Germans that they would choose to cast their ballots.

The first is the war we're fighting in Afghanistan, and the German forces who are there now. Because Afghanistan is going to be ugly for some time, I'd like to know where German youth stand on their nation's role in the war before I make the decision to send in more of our men and women.

The second is Iran. On this issue I'm a bit more optimistic because the German position hasn't really changed in the last six years. Clearly, whether one is right or left in Germany, the feeling is that the United States needs to be much more serious about carrots. When it comes to supporting sticks, however, I get worried. As a former boss of mine used to point out, if we (that is the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany) are going to fail on Iran, we need to all fail together. When you don't know where this missing segment of Germans stands on this issue, it becomes difficult to gauge their reaction the day after an Israeli air strike or an Iranian test. That's never a good thing when you're trying to hang together on an issue of this magnitude--lest you all hang separately.

Finally there's Turkey. What do Germans really think about the Turkish accession to the European Union? While the French are of the opinion that Germany is going to be a bit more forward leaning when it comes to saying "no," I'm not so sure. Clearly Ms. Merkel and a good portion of the "Union" have their doubts...but do those doubts mesh with that missing segment? While I can hope that the German people are a bit more prudent on this issue, how can I be sure when a number of important people didn't show up on election day to make their voices heard? I hate to say it, but maybe the French are onto something.

It is a shame that we're faced with these conundrums that are certain to play a vital role in the relationship between both of our nations--and maybe that's the best sell of all. Be sure that you vote in your upcoming elections because it makes the expert's job a lot easier.
 
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Image from Rich Legg from Salt Lake City, Utah.